Dry areas get timely
moisture | Central,
northern areas having
a strange season

Canada and South Korea have
reached a deal that could see Canadian
beef enter the market within months.
The announcement follows almost
eight years of negotiations and a
World Trade Organization standoff.
South Korea was Canada’s fourth
largest beef export market when the
market slammed shut in 2003 after
BSE was discovered in an Alberta cow.
The industry estimates that sales
worth at least $30 million are possible by 2015 if the June 27 deal in principle becomes reality.
Sales would be restricted to beef
from cattle younger than 30 months.
But first, Korea must publish its
proposed health import requirements for Canadian beef and open
the regulations for public comment.
“It would be months,” Canadian
Cattlemen’s Association president
Travis Toews said.

Water pours through the Rafferty Dam and into the Souris River near Estevan, Sask., June 24. For stories about
flooding in the region, see page 3. | KAREN BRIERE PHOTO
upper layers of the soil. Emergence
wasn’t looking all that great,” he said.
The rain made a big difference to
canola crops on the western Prairies
based on field scouting that Jurke
conducted last week.
“I’ve been out the past few days
looking at canola fields that weren’t
looking so good before. They’ve
really perked up.”
The crop is far from uniform; there
are almost two flushes of canola. As
well, sclerotinia has become a major

disease threat. It is also challenging
to get into the fields to apply herbicides and fungicides.
However, the outlook for canola
and other crops is vastly improved in
Jurke’s region.
“I hate to say it, because I don’t want
to jinx it, but it’s almost like we’ve got
some ideal conditions here,” he said.
Jurke said it’s the same story for
farmers in eastern Alberta. Growers
north of a horizontal line running
from Red Deer to the Saskatchewan

border needed rain, and they got it.
“They’re in very good shape as well.
This has certainly helped things out.”
Todd Hames is one of those farmers. The wheat and canola grower
from Marwayne, Alta., said his fields
dried out quickly shortly after seeding because of persistent winds.
“Some of the crops that were seeded
shallow did have patchy germination
because of the dry-down,” he said.
SEE RAINS WELCOMED, PAGE 2

»

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WEATHER | GOOD NEWS

Farmers in the central and northern Prairies are celebrating the same
June rain that has delivered more
misery to farmers in the south.
Agriculture Canada precipitation
maps show that a wide band of farmland in central and northern Saskatchewan and Alberta has received
85 to 115 percent of normal rainfall
since April 1 compared to in excess of
200 percent in the southeastern Prairies.
Ed Schafer, a grower from Makwa in
northwest Saskatchewan, had good
moisture on his farm as seeding began
in early May but conditions changed by
the end of 19 straight days of planting.
“We didn’t get any rain in that period, so as seeding progressed it got
drier and drier,” he said.
“We were watching TV and seeing
ever ybody flooding out (down
south) and we were drying out up
north.”
His topsoil was parched and his
pasture land was “starting to go backwards,” so he welcomed the rain
when it started to fall.
And did it fall. Schafer’s area of the
province received between 130 and
150 mm of moisture during one week
in the middle of June.
“In general, guys were happy to see
the rain, but they were happy to see it
done after seven days of rain,” he
said.
It has been a strange planting season. Schafer’s canola crop endured
13 days of frost in May, dryness in the
beginning of June and now excess
moisture.
“I’ve got drowned out spots in my
frozen, droughted-out canola,” he
said with a laugh.
Clint Jurke, a western Saskatchewan
agronomy specialist with the Canola
Council of Canada, said some areas
received too much of a good thing, but
the rain was desperately needed in an
area north of Highway 7.
“There were concerns that some of
the canola seed wasn’t germinating
because it was stranded in the dry

On the farm: A family moves from the city to live the organic life near
Lumsden, Sask. See page 67. | KAREN BRIERE PHOTO

NEWS

It was nothing like the drought of
2007, but the farm was definitely
lacking surface moisture.
The situation was rectified by a
10-day stretch of rain that began in
the second full week of June, during
which his farm received between 100
and 150 mm of moisture.
“(The rains) were very welcomed.
The grasslands and the crops were
starting to be dr y on top,” said
Hames.

He joked that he “ordered too
much” because as of late last week
the water was pooling in his fields
and he couldn’t get out to spray his
crops.
“We’ve been dried out enough that
generally people are more willing to
work with excess moisture than they
are with drought,” said Hames.
“Compared to what we see in other
parts of the country, we can’t complain.”

problem has descended on
soggy Manitoba this year:
biting midge.
15
MANDATE LATE: Canola growers worry Ottawa will miss
its July 1 biodiesel mandate
start-up date.
16
RIGHT OF WAY: Producers
who bale hay adjacent to
highways must know the
rules of the ditch.
22

MARKETS 6

» UNSEEDED ACRES: The unseeded acre esti»

mate is growing as flooding worsens.
6
CATTLE PRICES: Cattle futures soared
recently because of news that U.S. feedlots are emptier than expected.
7

PRODUCTION 18
BEEF MARKETS | FROM PAGE ONE

» WATER QUALITY: Farmers need to watch

South Korea lifts beef trade ban
“This is an announcement that the
Koreans have agreed to move forward with their process. We will be
monitoring the progress that Korea is
making in their process. It will be
important that they move briskly
through the process.”
The beef industry welcomed the
announcement by agriculture minister Gerry Ritz and trade minister Ed
Fast, despite the limited trade potential compared to overall Canadian
cattle and beef exports.
Both ministers were travelling June
27 and unavailable for interviews.
“After almost a decade, Canadian
beef producers are on track to gain
access to the lucrative South Korean
market, making our industry and
entire economy stronger,” Ritz said in
a statement announcing the agreement.
“The high quality of our beef products combined with the effectiveness
and transparency of Canada’s control
system is precisely the reason why
South Korea can be confident in the
safety of Canada’s beef.”
Meat industry leaders said the
potential Korean deal is more important than the potential value of trade.
Canadian Meat Council president

Scott Entz, general manager of the Cargill packing plant in High River, Alta.,
said in a statement that settlement of
the beef dispute could unblock free
trade talks with South Korea and also
help other meat sectors.
“A free trade agreement with South
Korea is the most crucial potential
free trade agreement that can be
completed for the Canadian meat
sector,” he said.
It could lead to a deal to increase
access for Canadian pork, a sector
that exported $100 million worth of
product to the growing Asian country
in 2010 but still faces barriers its competitors do not.
Toews said the Korean market adds
value to Canadian beef exports by
buying parts of the animal at a premium that are not valued in other
markets. Canada’s exclusion since
2003 gave U.S. exporters a “hay day”
in the growing market.
However, tight global supplies
should help Canada re-establish
itself as a market player.
“Our own access will add even
more value to Canadian producers,”
he said. “Short ribs alone were adding up to $20 million in incremental
value per animal.”

Publisher
Larry Hertz
Ph: 306-665-9625
larry.hertz@producer.com

» BITING MIDGE: Another

WEATHER | FROM PAGE ONE

Rains welcomed

CONTACTS

» INSURANCE STRIKE: Crop

insurance workers return to
work in Saskatchewan after a
short strike.
4
VOLUNTEER CANOLA:
Flooded farmers should think
twice before harvesting their
volunteer canola crop.
5
CWB FUTURE: Grain companies insist the Canadian
Wheat Board could operate
without its single desk.
14

»

the pH level of their water when applying
crop protection products.
18
WELL WATER: Most people don’t know the
safety status of their water wells.
19

LIVESTOCK 59

» INFERTILITY: Rogue male chromosomes
»

are linked to heifer infertility.
59
BOAR STORE: A new marketing tool allows
hog producers to take a look at the boars
they might want to buy.
60

AGFINANCE 62

» CANOLA INVESTMENT: Pioneer Hi-Bred
»

builds a new seed production facility in
Eastern Canada.
62
PULSE EXPANSION: Viterra buys an
American pulse processor as it plans its
expansion into the pulse market.
63

FARM LIVING 66

» LOOKING BACK: A royal visit to
»

Saskatchewan in 1939 was one for the
memory books.
70
MILLERS: Organic grain millers cater to
customers willing to pay more for food. 69

Floods damage roads, buildings in Estevan area
Recovery will take time | Premier pledges money from $1 billion rainy day fund to aid in recovery efforts
BY KAREN BRIERE
REGINA BUREAU

ESTEVAN, Sask. — Ray Frehlick has
operated Prairie Mud Service for
more than 40 years in the southeastern Saskatchewan oil fields, but it’s
mud of a different sort that concerns
him this year.
Frehlick also farms 14,000 acres in
the area.
“We thought we had about 2,500
seeded but that has dropped,” he said
last week. At least 500 acres of that is
now under water.
Frehlick is among the lucky ones in
this region who actually turned a
wheel this year.
Stan Lainton, reeve of the Rural
Municipality of Coalfields, usually
seeds about 2,500 east of Estevan but
hasn’t planted a single one.
“Some of the bigger guys got going
but their acres are now under water,”
he said. “There’s not 20 percent

growing. Roads are under (water)
everywhere and those that aren’t are
taking the full brunt of all the traffic.”
The flooding Souris River system is
taking the blame for most of the
flooding. It has forced people out of
their homes along the valley and in
the village of Roche Percee just
southeast of Estevan.
The spring runoff, combined with
extraordinary rain events, filled the
Boundary and Rafferty reservoirs
and resulted in unprecedented
releases of water. As of June 27 the
releases had been halved and the
levels were dropping.
Officials warned people not to be
too quick to take down sandbags and
other flood prevention works in case
another extreme rain event occurs
before levels can significantly drop.
But even farmers who aren’t close
to the Souris are facing water levels
they haven’t seen before.
North of Estevan the communities

of Benson and Lampman battled rising water from nearby marshes that
had absorbed all the water they could.
The water table is so high that there
is no place for water to go anymore.
Closer to the city, Frehlick helped
friend and neighbour Allan Hagel by
pumping water out of the field surrounding three farm homes.
“We’ve been pumping for two
weeks and we haven’t lowered it an
inch,” Frehlick said last week. “In fact,
it rose a foot.”
Hagel’s hay is under water and two
barns are unusable.
Frehlick recalls other wet years,
including 1974, 1977 and 1988, but
he said the area has never received
355 millimetres (14 inches) of rain
between May 1 and June 20.
There are entire sections of land
covered in a metre of water.
“You stop on a hill and you might
get stuck,” he observed.
All agree that it will take months, if not

years, to recover from the flood of 2011.
Premier Brad Wall said last week
the province would use its $1 billion
rainy day fund to help that recovery.
He noted that the oil field around
Estevan is largely inactive because of
the wet weather and the economic
implications of the flood are farreaching.
In Frehlich’s case, his crews work in
other regions and other provinces,
which gives his company a cushion.
Other employees are helping to sandbag and he sent some vans to Oxbow
so evacuees could store possessions.
“The real, real hit is going to be next
year once the grain bins are empty,”
he said of farmers.
Lainton, who also serves as his
RM’s emergency measures officer
and emergency social services coordinator, estimated that between 50
and 60 percent of the farmers in his
region are not in crop insurance.
Agriculture minister Bob Bjornerud

said earlier this year that farmers
should participate in the program if
they wanted to be eligible for any other assistance that might be offered.
Lainton said RMs face a long recovery in terms of repairing roads,
bridges and culverts.
The Provincial Disaster Assistance
Program, which is cost-shared by the
federal government to varying degrees
depending on the severity of damage,
is available but Wall said last week it
had to repay the provinces sooner.
Saskatchewan is still receiving federal payments from 2005 events.
Meanwhile, the forecast of hot dry
weather for this week gave some a
reprieve from the constant battle.
The bulk of the Souris River water
had moved through Minot, North
Dakota, where it destroyed thousands of homes.
That water now moves back into
Manitoba where residents have been
preparing for its arrival.

MELITA, Man. — The fields below
the aircraft are ugly.
Pools of water pockmark many of
them, plains of water form new lakes,
flushes of yellow reveal rank volunteer canola crops and old tractor
lines show how farmers farmed last
year.
It’s a collection of farmer horrors
that is particularly bad around Melita
and anywhere near the Souris and
Assiniboine river valleys. However,
similar situations occur across much
of Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan.
“Holy mackerel, look at how wide
that is,” said Keystone Agricultural
Producers president Doug Chorney
as the small airplane passed over the
swollen Souris River June 21.
It was a week before the crest from
the Saskatchewan storm and flooding from Minot, North Dakota, was
set to hit Melita.
While the flooded valleys and
low-lying areas beside the rivers
looked bad, the sights that worried
Chorney most were those of fields
that had obviously not been worked
this year.
From the Red River to Melita to Reston to Dauphin to Arborg, thousands
of quarter sections had clearly not
been seeded, sprayed or tilled, and
the amount of water lying on fields
made it seem obvious that those fields
would not be seeded this year.
“Most of this won’t dry this summer,” said Chorney, who organized
the flight to reveal the vast extent of
unseeded land.
The flooded homes and businesses
of people along the Assiniboine and
Souris rivers and the water-damaged
homes, farms and cottages around
Lake Manitoba have received much
of the media attention in Manitoba,
but KAP has worried that urban resiaccess=subscriber section=news,none,none

TOP LEFT: Trees hint at where the
Souris channel should normally
be. | ED WHITE PHOTO
TOP RIGHT: The fields near
Melita, Man., are a mess, with
pooled water wrecking many
roads. Farmers cannot even reach
many of their fields, let alone
farm them. | ED WHITE PHOTO
BOTTOM LEFT: The Saskatchewan
highways ministry calls this a
catastrophic failure at the bridge
over the Souris River on Highway
47 south of Estevan. | KAREN BRIERE
PHOTO

MIDDLE: This farm sits just to
the west of Highway 39 south of
Estevan, Sask., near the village of
Roche Percee. | KAREN BRIERE PHOTO

dents don’t realize the significance of
the seeding disaster.
It also doesn’t think urban residents realize how important the farm
economy is to Manitoba’s cities and
towns.
Chorney estimates farmers could

lose $1 billion because they are
unable to seed.
The multiplier effect of farmers’
problems has also been worrying
Graham Starmer, president of the
Manitoba Chambers of Commerce.
He has heard alarming reports from

his organization’s 70 local chambers
of commerce and thinks most Manitobans don’t realize how important
non-farm agri-businesses are within
the provincial economy.
“There’s going to be a huge financial burden,” Starmer said about the

impact on input dealers, equipment
dealers and farm service providers.
“There’s no compensation for them
at all.”
Starmer said reports from every
corner of the province tell the same
story, and “it doesn’t look good.”

Federal agriculture minister Gerry
Ritz said agreements reached during
European meetings last week on
research investment and creation of
ways to control volatile food prices
will help Canadian farmers.
In Paris at the first agriculture ministerial meeting of the G20 global
group June 23, ministers agreed to
create an information network that
will inform members about production prospects and food supplies
held around the world.
At the first ministerial meeting of
the Global Research Alliance, Canada announced $16 million in funding
for projects to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions in agriculture, including
in Saskatchewan and Alberta on new
feed systems for cattle and more efficient irrigation systems.
Ritz said in a telephone news conference from Rome on June 24 that
Canada successfully argued at the
G20 meeting that the best way to deal
with food price volatility is through
science investment, innovation and
trade, not internal regulations.
“Where Canada stands is well
known,” said Ritz. “The best way to
stabilize, rather than regulation, is to
produce more food and have good
open trade flow.”
He said the G20 agreement to
establish an agricultural market

information system will be useful as
it compiles and distributes monthly
information about food supplies.
“I think it’s a good news story for
Canadian farmers in that it will help us
assess what we should be planting,
knowing what’s out there in stockpiles
in the rest of the world,” he said. “The
whole idea, of course, is to smooth out
the spikes and valleys for consumers
and for producers as well.”
Canadian Federation of Agriculture president Ron Bonnett, in Paris
for the G20 farm leaders’ meeting last
week, praised the ministers and Ritz
for taking a measured approach.
“To just decrease food prices would
actually exacerbate the problem,” he
said in a news release.
“Those on the front lines — farmers
— are experiencing increased input
and fuel costs and would end up on
the losing end if food prices were
artificially lowered.”
Meanwhile, the Paris-based Organization for Economic Co-operation
and Development, along with the
United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization, released a report predicting that high food prices and
price volatility will continue into the
f u t u re i n c l u d i n g a 2 0 p e rc e nt
increase in cereal prices over the next
decade and as much as a 30 percent
increase in meat prices.
“While higher prices are generally
good news for farmers, the impact on
the poor in developing countries

France’s agriculture minister Bruno Le Maire, left, welcomes Canada’s agriculture minister Gerry Ritz at the
G20 Agriculture summit in Paris June 23. | REUTERS/JACKY NAEGELEN PHOTO
who spend a high portion of their
income on food can be devastating,”
OECD secretary general Angel Gurria said in a statement accompanying
the report’s release.
“That is why we are calling on governments to improve information
and transparency of both physical
and financial markets, encourage

investments that increase productivity in developing countries, remove
production and trade-distorting
policies and assist the vulnerable to
better manage risk and uncertainty.”
After the ministers met in Paris, the
aid and development group Oxfam
said their response to rising global
food prices was disappointing.”

“As a major food producer, Canada
has a responsibility to ensure the
smooth functioning of international
markets,” said Oxfam Canada’s policy
co-ordinator, Mark Fried, in Ottawa.
“Fixing the problem of rising food
prices requires major surgery and
the G20 produced little more than a
band-aid.”

LABOUR DISPUTE | SASK. CROP INSURANCE CORP.

CWB | PAYMENTS

Crop insurance workers return

Wheat initials rise to $42 per tonne

Premier Brad Wall appalled | Union scolded for striking during flood

Initial payments for 2010-11 wheat
have increased.
The Canadian Wheat Board said
initials will increase by $21.30 to $42
per tonne, depending on grade and
class.
For example, the payment for No. 1
CWRS 12.5 percent protein will

BY KAREN BRIERE
REGINA BUREAU

Saskatchewan Crop Insurance
Corp. reached a tentative agreement
with its workers last week after a
short strike.
The 470 Saskatchewan Government and General Employees Union
members walked off the job June 21.
They settled three days later for a 5.5
percent wage increase over three years
plus .25 percent in the third year, as well
as other enhancements. The agreement is retroactive to Oct. 1, 2009.
Bargaining committee chair Allan
Evans, who works in the Prince
Albert office and is involved in a
nearby family farm, said the negotiation wasn’t easy.
“We are rural people, and rural
people don’t believe in strikes,” he
said. “We’re caught in a position
where we do work for crop insurance
and we had some things that we
wanted to try to correct. I can understand why there’s negative comments from some people.”
Several farm organizations lined up
against the workers, saying the time to
strike is not during a wet spring when
farmers need unseeded acreage and
establishment benefit claims assessed.

Your decision to launch strike action
against the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance
Corp. at this moment — in the midst of an
unprecedented flood crisis in many areas
of Saskatchewan — is nothing short of
appalling.

increase by $27.50 to $286 per tonne
at port.
Adjustment payments for grain
delivered will be paid by direct
deposit July 12.
Cheques will be delivered to Canada Post July 15.
Producers wishing to defer payment have until July 8 to notify the
CWB by phoning 800-275-4292.

RESEARCH | GENETIC MODIFICATION

GM cow milk subs for human milk

BRAD WALL
SASKATCHEWAN PREMIER

The harshest words came from Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall, who a
day after the workers went on strike
said they had 24 hours to return to work
or the government would take action.
“Your decision to launch strike
action against the Saskatchewan
Crop Insurance Corp. at this moment
— in the midst of an unprecedented
flood crisis in many areas of Saskatchewan — is nothing short of
appalling,” he wrote in a letter to
union president Bob Bymoen.
The two sides returned to negotiations, but an agreement was not
reached within the 24 hours and Wall
responded by recalling the legislature for June 27. That decision was
rescinded after the tentative agree-

SASKATOON NEWSROOM

ment was announced.
Evans said workers would return to
work immediately, but a vote likely
wouldn’t be completed until after the
Canada Day long weekend.
He said the bargaining committee
decided to settle for less than the
union wanted but slightly more than
the government originally offered
because it didn’t want to leave the
matter in the hands of MLAs.
Agriculture minister Bob Bjornerud said producers would be relieved
to hear of the deal.
“As of this morning we had about
6,500 unseeded acreage claims come
in,” he said June 24.
Fewer than 100 had been processed.

Genetically modified milk is 80 percent similar to human milk
BEIJING, China (Reuters) — Mooove over, Mom.
Chinese scientists have produced a
herd of genetically modified cows that
produce milk that could substitute for
human breast milk, a possible alternative to baby formula in a nation rocked
by tainted milk powder scandals.
Researchers at the State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology at the
China Agricultural University introduced human genetic coding into
the DNA of Holstein dair y cow
embryos and then transferred the
embryos into cow surrogates.
In 2003, after years of testing on
mice, scientists created the first cow

that could produce milk with the
same nutritional properties as
human breast milk but with a taste
even stronger and sweeter.
“The genetically modified cow milk
is 80 percent the same as human
breast milk,” said lead researcher Li
Ning. “Our modified cow milk contains several major properties of
human milk, in particular proteins
and antibodies which we believe are
good for our health and able to
improve our immune system.”
More than 300 cloned cattle now
live on an experimental farm in suburban Beijing, with new calves delivered every week.

Stripe rust could wipe out thousands of acres of winter wheat across
southern Alberta and Saskatchewan
if farmers fail to monitor their fields
closely, said a plant pathologist.
Denis Gaudet, an Agriculture Canada research pathologist, said the
fast-moving disease has reached
epidemic proportions in southern
Alberta on winter wheat fields and
could move to susceptible spring
wheat varieties if farmers don’t
watch it and take control measures.
“Most of the winter wheat is getting
hit pretty hard now,” said Gaudet of
Lethbridge.
He said the rust moves quickly in
high moisture and cool conditions.
“It has pretty much hit all winter
wheat fields in southern Alberta and
will likely move to spring wheat varieties.”

There have also been reports of
stripe rust in central Alberta and as
far east as Yorkton, Sask.
In most years, stripe rust is only a
concern to soft white wheat producers when the pathogen is carried on
wind currents from regions like the
U.S. Pacific Northwest in late summer.
This year, heavy snowfall insulated
the crops and allowed the stripe rust
fungus to overwinter in southern
Alberta. Cold weather normally kills
it.
Stripe rust starts by covering lower
leaves with orange spores that look
like long stripes. The open pustules
on the leaves can cause moisture loss
and quickly turn into yield losses if
the stripe rust reaches the flag leaf
stage of the plant.
“Our goal is to protect the flag leaf. If
it’s on lower leaves we recommend
spraying. If it is in the flag leaf, it
doesn’t make a lot of sense to throw
access=subscriber section=news,crops,none

Alberta growers are seeing their
winter wheat attacked by stripe
rust, orange spores that cause
moisture and yield losses. It is too
late to spray when plants reach
the flag leaf stage. | AGRICULTURE
CANADA PHOTOS

good money after bad.”
The winter wheat variety Radiant is
no longer resistant because the
pathogen has mutated.
The less common variety Bellatrix
is not resistant.
Most spring wheat varieties have

resistance to stripe rust.
Gaudet said that during a recent
meeting of pathologists in North
America, stripe rust was declared the
most important new pathogen on
wheat production.
With climate change and warming

winters, it’s more likely stripe rust
will over winter in Canada and
become a problem early in the
spring.
“If it’s going to survive winters, I
think it’s going to be an ongoing
problem.”

Thousands of prairie fields are a
mess this year. They haven’t been
seeded and are too wet to be sprayed
or worked.
But some farmers might be looking
at yellow fields of volunteer canola
and wondering if there’s a golden lining to this production cloud: why not
let the volunteer crop grow and then
harvest it?
It’s a thought virtually no canola
agronomy expert supports, and
something that seed companies are
making difficult or impossible.
“They really need to think: do I
want to make this my canola crop in
the rotation,” said Canola Council of
Canada agronomy expert Derwyn
Hammond.
“It’s not a good idea.”
Problems include:
• poor yields from crops that are
unevenly spaced, with a potential
of about 25 percent of an intentionally seeded field
• breakdown of herbicide resistance
because the initial seed was a
hybrid product

Manitoba fields too wet to seed are turning yellow with volunteer canola, but growers must consider harvest
problems and follow intellectual property rights if harvesting the crop. | ED WHITE PHOTO
• high chances of disease outbreaks
from growing canola-on-canola
with volunteer seeds that will have
lost some of their original protection and that are being grown in
soaked soils
• uneven maturities across the field,
making harvest timing difficult
Farmers also have a host of legal
problems to deal with if they try to
harvest a crop that is covered by a
technical use agreement, which
applies to almost all canola acreage

in Western Canada.
Bayer, whose varieties dominate
the flood zone of Manitoba, is refusing to allow farmers to harvest volunteer crops grown from its seed.
“While we sympathize that this season continues to be … very difficult
and understand the desire to attempt
to harvest a volunteer canola crop,
Bayer CropScience cannot endorse
this practice or support the application of Liberty herbicide to control
weeds within these fields,” said Bayer

spokesperson Derrick Rozdeba.
Monsanto also disagrees with the
practice but is allowing farmers to
harvest volunteer Roundup Ready
crops under strict conditions.
“We think it’s a really, really, really
bad idea for a number of agronomic
re a s o n s,” s a i d T r i s h Jo rda n o f
Monsanto.
“However … we do get calls from
growers, so in the incredibly wet
years, when farmers are impacted
like that, even though we don’t think

SEE OUR WEEKLY PROVINCIAL CROP REPORTS ON PAGES 24 & 25

»

it’s a good idea, we have put together
a program.”
Farmers need to register the crop
with Monsanto, sign a special agreement and pay the typical $16.34 per
acre, the same as an intentionally
seeded crop.
“We are not encouraging or validating this process, but we will enable it,”
said Jordan.
Stan Jeeves, a farmer from Wolseley, Sask., and member of the Saskatchewan Canola Growers Association, said harvesting a volunteer crop
is not generally worthwhile.
The crop might look good from the
road, but inside the field it’s likely to
be diseased and patchily emerged
and maturing.
Jeeves said seed companies should
co-operate with farmers who want to
harvest a volunteer crop if they feel
they don’t have better choices, but he
supports the intellectual property
rights of the companies because that
is what has provided today’s best
canola varieties.
“We know that’s what drives innovation in the industry,” he said.
“That’s what benefits farmers in the
long term. So we certainly believe
intellectual property needs to be paid
for, otherwise there’s no incentive for
the developments to occur.”
Jeeves said farmers considering
harvesting volunteer canola had
better tell their seed company first.
“Communication is key,” said
Jeeves. “Be up front.”

Still below last year | Farm groups think total may reach eight million acres
BY SEAN PRATT
SASKATOON NEWSROOM

BY ED WHITE

Farm groups in Saskatchewan and
Manitoba think there will be more
unseeded acres than the Canadian
Wheat Board is forecasting.
The board released an estimate
June 14 of 6.5 million unplanted
acres in the two provinces, down
from 10 million acres last year. It said
the number could be as low as six
million or as high as eight million
acres.
Two prairie farm organizations
believe it will end up at the higher
end of that scale.
“I get a sense that we’re in around
that five million acres in Saskatchewan alone,” said Greg Marshall,
president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan.
Keystone Agricultural Producers
president Doug Chorney agreed with
Manitoba Agriculture’s estimate of
three million unseeded acres in that
province.
“That’s based on feedback we’re
getting from various sources,” he
said.
Bruce Burnett, the wheat board’s
director of weather and market
analysis, said continued rainfall during the last half of June will probably
result in more lost acres.
“I think it increases the likelihood
of us moving higher.”
He said his 6.5 million acre estimate
did not include abandoned acres,
which is a mounting area of concern
given the recent rainfall.
However, Burnett still believes the
final number will be well below last
year’s 10 million lost acres.
“I don’t think it can be up at last
year’s levels just because last year did
affect a larger area of the Prairies.”
APAS is lobbying the federal and
provincial governments to announce
appropriate disaster relief for producers.
“We’re asking for AgriRecovery to
be used again this year to help out
those farmers who have been unable
to seed,” Marshall said.
“People are desperate. They are
feeling very helpless.”
APAS hasn’t announced what it will
access=subscriber section=markets,none,none
section=markets,crops,news

WINNIPEG BUREAU

Western Canadian seeding
intentions (million acres)

ask for a per acre payment, but Chorney said KAP’s number is higher than
last year’s $30 per acre.
“Guys are saying we need at least
$50 an acre, so that’s what we’ve been
asking from government.”
KAP believes farmers are in worse
shape this year because more growers
didn’t plant a crop, which means they
have no crop insurance protection.
“It’s looking pretty scary here for a
lot of guys,” said Chorney.

Marshall worries about the mental
health of farmers in southeastern
Saskatchewan who watched what
little seed they managed to plant
wash away in late-June rain.
“It’s extremely stressful, obviously,
and that’s what concerns me the
most right now. That stress plays out
in many different ways. Everybody
has to remain safe.”
George Hanna, who runs a custom
seeding, spraying and harvesting

business near Milden, Sask., said
farmers aren’t the only ones hurting.
“This rain has been an absolute
disaster for the custom business,” he
said.
The largest part of his customer
base is south of Regina.
“We’re probably doing 40 percent
of our acres,” he said. “If we don’t get
it seeded now, then we lose out on
the spraying and we lose out on the
custom combining, too.”

Outstanding in the field.
AUGUST 1: Last day to apply for AMHL coverage

As last week’s crop insurance deadlines passed, many farmers tied up
their last frantic seeding efforts.
And while some have and might
attempt post-deadline seeding, most
have put their fields into next year
country.
“I think it’s (a situation of ) clean it
up and get it ready for next year and
get on with life,” said John Duvenaud
of the Wild Oats newsletter and advisory service.
“There will be a little bit of greenfeed, but how many guys can even
use greenfeed? Not many commercial grain farmers have any cattle
around.”
The true acreage totals and conditions won’t be known until midsummer. No one believes the numbers in the Statistics Canada seeded
acreage report June 23 are close to
the reality.
The StatsCan survey was completed in early June, when farmers still
hoped fields would dry. Since then
conditions have generally worsened.
Farmer’s Edge co-founder Curtis
MacKinnon said he had heard farmers trying to seed something to fight
weeds, eliminate moisture and produce something of value, even if it
was past most insurance deadlines.
“This is one of those years when
guys could come up with some innovative ways to deal with it,” said
MacKinnon.
“It could even be guys throwing
down a kind of green manure crop.”
Cereal crops are generally toughest
in the face of bad autumn conditions,
which are a likelihood for late-seeded crops. And cereals are generally
easy and cheap to grow.
But most observers think farmers
spent their last seeding moments trying to get canola planted, because it
has the most seeding options in wet
conditions, and because it will likely
be more profitable.
“You can harrow canola in, you can
aerial seed canola in. You can do a lot
access=subscriber section=markets,news,crops

Cattle futures surged last week on
news of fewer than expected cattle in
American feedlots, but Canadian
market analysts don’t see a supply
problem developing soon.
Brian Perillat, manager and senior
analyst at Canfax, said the U.S. cattleon-feed report, a healthy export picture and strong packer margins drove
the recent rally, but he doubts that
February and December prices will
average about $1.20 as the current
futures market suggests.
“If you look really far out, these
futures prices seem phenomenally
high,” Perillat said. “Maybe under
good conditions, we may hit that as a
peak. We saw that in the spring. But to
say we’re going to average that over

an entire quarter, we’ve never seen
that.”
The futures rally seemed to feed off
supply concerns when the United
States reported a four percent
increase in cattle on feed, compared
to the expected 5.4 percent increase.
Also, the number of cattle put on
feed in May fell 11 percent from last
year to 1.81 million.
That indicated reduced supplies in
the third and fourth quarters, and
futures prices rose about 4.5 percent
in the following three days.
But Perillat believes the high prices
will help reduce the supply problem.
“Supplies are not going to be as
tight as they would expect just
because there’s a lot of cattle out
there that could get pulled forward
and move into these spots that are
offering such high price premiums,”

said Perillat.
“We’re looking at pretty big supplies come this summer, especially in
the U.S.”
Despite the smallest U.S. calf crop
in about 50 years, more cattle are
going to market because of better
prices and southern U.S. drought
“The drought in the U.S. and Mexico brought a whole bunch more cattle onto feed as well, so that actually
did pull cattle forward, and those are
the cattle that are going to be hitting
us in the third quarter.”
Perillat said recent cattle markets
are incredibly volatile. The responses of commodity fund managers to
livestock reports make the market
harder to predict, he added.
Also, consumers have less disposable income when fuel prices rise,
which lowers meat purchases.
access=subscriber section=markets,livestock,none
section=markets,livestock,news

TRADE | MEXICO

Mexico weed policy shuts out canaryseed

“Will consumers pay up to make
t h e s e h i g h p r i c e s s u s t a i na b l e
throughout the whole beef supply
chain for the packers and the wholesalers to actually achieve the prices
they need, at the retail level, to sustain $1.20 fats or whatever we’re
looking at into the fourth quarter?”
he said.
Healthy beef exports this year are
also fuelling the market, as are strong
U.S. packer margins.
Futures markets will watch corn
price’s effect on feeder margins.

Barley is often the feed of choice in
Canada, but barley production has
dropped in recent years. However,
wet weather and a late seeding start
may have encouraged more barley
plantings, and there could also be a
good supply of feed wheat.
“Price wise, we are at a fairly big
advantage over the U.S.,” said Perillat.
“Our feed costs are a lot lower than the
U.S. Our spread between Canada and
the U.S. gives us a lot bigger advantage
than we’ve had probably in the last
few years.”

The Cover Crop
That Pays
“I tried them all. This is the one you want.”
Steve Groff

BY SEAN PRATT
SASKATOON NEWSROOM

The bird cage door has once again
slammed shut on canaryseed sales to
Mexico.
Canadian and Mexican plant protection officials have failed to extend
an interim agreement regarding quarantine weeds that expired June 21.
“For nearly a year government officials have been negotiating a solution, and the expiry of the agreement
is a failure to ensure that trade can
continue,” said Gordon Bacon, chief
executive officer of the Canadian
Special Crops Association.
Canadian farmers and processors
and Mexican processors and customers will suffer, he said.
“A missed deadline means missed
sales.”
Kevin Hursh, executive director of
the Canaryseed Development Commission of Saskatchewan, said the
trade impasse will likely result in
more downward pressure on already
lackluster canaryseed prices.
“The price is maybe not going to
crash and burn at this development,
but it certainly isn’t at all supportive of
prices given the supply and demand
situation,” he said.
New crop canaryseed prices of 25 to

Mexico is Canada’s biggest canary
seed customer. | FILE PHOTO
26 cents per pound are already too
low, he added, considering the Canadian Wheat Board’s Pool Return
Outlook for new crop durum is more
than $10 per bushel on farm.
“Compared to where everything
else is at, canaryseed should be 30
cents-plus to be competitive,” said
Hursh.
Mexico is Canada’s largest canaryseed customer, typically accounting
for 25 percent of total exports.
The market was jeopardized last
summer when Mexico began enforcing a zero tolerance policy for quarantine weed seeds such as wild
buckwheat, stinkweed and cow
cockle.
Trade ceased until officials in

both countries agreed to a temporar y workaround in which any
shipment from Canada that didn’t
meet requirements could be recleaned in Mexico and moved to
destination.
Sales soon resumed, and Mexico
imported 20,785 tonnes of Canadian
canaryseed through the first seven
months of the 2010-11 campaign,
representing 25 percent of the total
export program for that period.
Hursh said trade will halt again
unless a new agreement can be
reached because exporters will have
a tough time meeting Mexico’s strict
zero tolerance rules.
Canaryseed demand is static from
year to year so it is doubtful another
country will pick up the slack in
Mexican demand.
Hursh said it is disappointing that
so little progress has been made after
a year of negotiations.
“I think it’s to the stage where we
probably need some fairly high
political intervention to say, ‘why are
you treating canaryseed different
than all the other grains you import
into Mexico?’ ”
Bacon said the failure of negotiations highlights the need for a science-based approach to assessing
and managing risk.
access=subscriber section=markets,none,none
section=markets,crops,news

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

SUBSCRIBER BENEFITS | DAILY INFORMATION

of things with canola that you can’t
with barley or oats,” said Jack Shymko, an Ituna, Sask., farmer and oat
industry leader.
“I really think guys did everything
they could to get canola in. Even if
your canola freezes a little bit and you
get a number three, it’s still between
$11 and $12 a bushel.”
MacKinnon said farmers hate seeing fields stand empty, so they might
try something.
“If they can get out there at all, they
might throw some grain in the
ground just to have something growing that’s a competitor to weeds and
will burn up the moisture,” he said.
Most farmers will just do weed control this summer.
“There’s going to be a lot of chem
fallow,” said MacKinnon.

USDA report on Producer.com

FOR POOL RETURN OUTLOOK, SEE PAGE
63.

MARKET WATCH

D’ARCE MCMILLAN

B

y the time you get this paper,
the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s June 30 acreage and
stocks reports will be out and will
have supported or weakened grain
prices, depending on how the market
reacts to the numbers.
Check our daily coverage of major
Canadian and U.S. reports on our

web and mobile sites and e-mail services.
Also, we write a crop market report
that appears after the market close in
the daily news part of Producer.com
and on Producermobile.com, our
site that is optimized for use with
smart phones.
This report is also usually featured
in our Producer Daily e-mail. You
can sign up for it at Producer.com.
The web and mobile sites also feature a blog by markets reporter, Ed
White, delivering analysis and often
a smile about market developments.
We’ll have coverage of the USDA
reports in the next Western Producer, but remember, as a subscriber
you can get a jump on market news
and much more at Producer.com.
access=subscriber section=markets,none,none
section=markets,news,none

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Sltr. cattle to U.S. (head)
Feeder C&C to U.S. (head)
Total beef to U.S. (tonnes)
Total beef, all nations (tonnes)
Sltr. cattle from U.S. (head)
Feeder C&C from U.S. (head)
Total beef from U.S. (tonnes)
Total beef, all nations (tonnes)

(1) to June 11/11 (2) to April 30/11 (3) to April 30/11 (4) to June 11/11
Agriculture Canada

CANFAX REPORT
The sharp gains in Chicago futures
and cash cattle that started the previous
week in the United States washed into
western Canadian markets last week.
The Canfax fed steer weighted average
price was $102.20 per hundredweight,
up $4.05 from the previous week, and
heifers were $101.54, up $4.37.
Rail prices were up about $7.
Chicago cattle futures were in a tug
of war. The strong U.S. cash market,
partly supported by packers buying
for July 4 barbecues, pushed futures
higher early in the week, but then
worries about the U.S. economy and
employment caused the market to
pull back later.
Alberta show list volumes were steady
with the previous week. Market ready
calves continue to be pulled forward.
The week’s cash offering accounted
for one-sixth of the total list.
access=subscriber section=markets,livestock,news

With the weaker Canadian dollar
and wider basis, U.S. interest was
again observed.
As live cattle futures strengthened,
the cash to futures basis widened
$1.59 to end the week at ‐$6.52.
Weekly fed cattle exports to June 11
totaled 5,990, up 16 percent from the
previous week.
Stronger beef cut-out values and
lighter carcasses compared to last
year are supporting fed prices, but
the weak U.S. economy and investor
unease could pressure prices down.

cwt. to average $85.88.
Weekly non‐fed exports to June 11
were steady at slightly more than
3,500 head.
Slaughter cow supplies are expected to tighten heading into July, and
prices next week could trend higher.

quarter fed market saw good demand
and higher prices.
Stocker heifers continued mostly
steady and feeder heifers heavier than
600 pounds generally traded 50 cents‐$1
higher. Auction volume was 52 percent
lower than the same week last year.
Non‐fed slaughter cows again
made up a larger percentage of auction volumes.
Weekly feeder exports to June 11
were near a record low at 659 head,
discounting holiday weeks.
Feeder exports are down 63 percent
so far this year.
Small lots of varying quality feeders
are making it difficult to assemble
feedlot pens. Once the supply of nonfed cattle lessens, some auction markets may be forced to take an early
summer hiatus until grass cattle
come back on the market.

BEEF PRICES SURGE
The Choice cutout rose to $178.19
US per cwt., up $5.25 from the previous week, and Select was $173.51, up
$5.24.
The Montreal wholesale market for
delivery this week traded $2 higher at
$191‐$193 Cdn.
Weekly Canadian AAA cutouts to
June 17 rose 70 cents to $166.06 per cwt.
and were anticipated to see a marked
improvement the following week.
This cattle market information is
selected from the weekly report from
Canfax, a division of the Canadian
Cattlemen’s Association. More market information, analysis and statistics are available by becoming a
Canfax subscriber by calling 403275-5110 or at www.canfax.ca.

WP LIVESTOCK
REPORT
U.S. HOG PRICES HIT RECORD
Tight supply and strong pork exports
to South Korea and China drove U.S.
cash hog prices to record highs.
Packers had to chase supply to fill
contracts for the coming July 4 holiday barbecue demand. Hog prices
might fall now that the holiday
demand has been met.
U.S. pork exports are up 19 percent
this year.
Pork prices in China have hit record
highs, indicating shortages there and
prospects for continuing good
exports from North America.
Also, warm weather in the Midwest
slowed growth and carcasses are
lighter than last year at this time.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture
reported June 24 that the June hog
herd is at 65 million head, or 100.6
percent of a year ago, slightly more
than expected. The breeding herd
was 5.803 million, 100.3 percent of a
year ago, and the market hog supply
was 59.197 million, at 100.6 percent
of a year ago.
Iowa-southern Minnesota cash
hogs delivered to plants jumped to
$75 US per hundredweight June 24
from $70 June 17.
The U.S. pork carcass cut-out value
rose to $99.06 June 24, up from $95.77
June 17.
The U.S. federal slaughter estimate
was 1.94 million, down from 1.97 million the previous week.

Thank you.

BISON STEADY
The Canadian Bison Association
said grade A bulls in the desirable
weight range were $3.85-$4.10 per
pound hot hanging weight. Grade A
heifers were $3.75-$4.
Animals older than 30 months and
those outside the desirable weight
range may be discounted.
Slaughter cows and bulls averaged
$2.75.
Feeder bulls born in 2009 are trading at $2.20 per lb. and heifers at
$2.15. Bulls born in 2010 are trading
at $2.70 per lb. and heifers at $2.50.
Late bred two-year-old heifers are
$2,000-$2,500 per head. Late bred
cows are $1,800-$2,500 and replacement 2010 heifers are $1,600-$1,800.

In 2011, Canadian farmers planted SeCan genetics on more acres
than any other seed brand.
Through your purchases of certified seed SeCan has returned
more than $65 million to Canadian plant breeders.
Thank you for choosing the genes that fit your farm.
Genes that fit your farm.® is a registered trademark of SeCan.

ndustries with promise and a benefit
to society, which use new technology
and require changes in infrastructure,
should be able to get government help.
But it should be a hand up and not a
hand out. Support should end once the
industry is established.
So it is with biofuel.
Ethanol and biodiesel are attractive
because they are renewable, offer modest
greenhouse gas reduction, help stabilize
crop prices and create jobs and economic
activity in rural areas.
The cost of biofuel support is offset by
reduced subsidies to crop farmers as the
new demand for grain lifts prices and
supports income.
It has been a legitimate use of taxpayers’
money to get this industry started by
helping build production plants and provide assistance in the first few years when
the infrastructure was being developed to
make the fuel widely available.
The United States started down this
path before Canada and now has a successful ethanol industry that this year
used 40 percent of the American corn
crop.
The American government also has
instituted a mandatory biofuel use policy. It guarantees industry growth because
the mandate is structured to increase to
36 billion gallons by 2022 from 12.6 billion this year.
Now that the industry is mature and has
the mandate, subsidies are not necessary.
But in the U.S., ethanol policy has a
favoured position. It is wildly popular in
the corn-growing Midwest and the way to
the White House is made easier by winning the primary in Iowa. That helps
explain why the U.S. Congress less than a
year ago voted to extend for a year biofuel
subsidies that were to expire at the end of
2010.
However, facing a $1.4 trillion deficit
and a $14.5 trillion debt, U.S. politicians
must find ways to cut spending.
A Senate coalition of deficit fighters and
urban representatives who doubt ethanol’s environmental credentials recently
voted to end the $6 billion in annual etha-

nol subsidies.
The measure was attached to a wider
bill that might not pass, but it sent a strong
signal that the days are numbered for rich
ethanol incentives in the U.S.
It is high time. The existing subsidy
regime enriched the ethanol industry at
the expense of the livestock feeding
industry.
It is too much to say that ethanol is the
only cause of today’s high food prices —
fast rising food demand, a string of
weather problems, speculators and high
oil prices are more to blame — but it has
helped push up the price of feed grains.
The cattle and hog industries that have
faced trade problems associated with
disease, unprofitability and shrinking
herds do not look favourably on government subsidizing an industry that pushes
up the cost of their feed.
There is still a role for government to
support research and development of
new generation biofuel, such as ethanol
made from cellulose, which is expected to
have better environmental credentials.
But on a general basis, the industry
should now stand on its own feet.
In Canada, the ethanol industry has
been supported by the now expired Ethanol Expansion Program, which has
helped fund plant construction, and the
current ecoEnergy for Biofuels Program.
That program will invest $1.5 billion
over nine years at first, paying producers
an operating incentive of 10 cents per litre
for ethanol and 26 cents per litre for
biodiesel. In later years the incentives
decline and the program expires in 2017.
Some provinces also have assistance
programs, and a federal five percent ethanol mandate began in December.
Biofuel producers responded, investing
$3 billion in plants and infrastructure in
Canada. But when these programs expire
government must let go, allowing those in
the industry to succeed or fail based on
their business acumen.
Bruce Dyck, Terry Fries, Barb Glen, D’Arce
McMillan and Joanne Paulson collaborate in the
writing of Western Producer editorials.
access=subscriber section=opinion,news,none

shawa, Ont., home of General Motors’ headquarters
in Canada and one of the
country’s most unionized cities,
once was a safe NDP seat.
As a young reporter getting a first
taste of political reporting, the question in the early 1970s was not whether Ed Broadbent would win but by
how much.
He had wrestled the seat away from

a former Conservative cabinet minister in 1968 and for the next six elections, racked up victories by thousands of votes.
The Union of Auto Workers provided money and the ground troops.
It was, it is, a union town.
Since 2004, Colin Carrie has been
the Conservative MP racking up victories by thousands of votes.
So it is in many of the unionized
forestry and mining constituencies
of the British Columbia interior
where the Reform party and now the
Conservative party have been winning seats handily since 1993.
So it is now in many of the industrialized, unionized suburban ridings
around Toronto where the Conservatives cleaned up May 2.
And so it is in Ottawa where the
Conservatives won seats in ridings

where unionized public servants and
their families make up a significant
portion of the electorate despite
opposition predictions of government downsizing.
So what to make, then, of the conventional wisdom among opposition
MPs, Conservative critics and many
in the media that the Conservative
government reaction to the Canada
Post lockout was back-to-work legislation that clearly showed a party
ideologically on the side of the boss
and contemptuous of the worker?
It was a common theme during the
marathon filibuster/debate over the
Canada Post back-to-work bill last
weekend in the House of Commons.
Workers beware, said the NDP.
With the Conservatives in a majority,
union rights will be trampled and
bosses will rule.

Montreal Liberal Denis Coderre
captured the argument perfectly.
“We have really reached a low point
if the minister of labour said today
that it does not really matter how
things will turn out,” he thundered.
“Our government is siding with the
employers. We have a minister who
has just completely denied collective
rights and workers’ right.”
In truth, the back-to-work bill was
slanted in favour of Canada Post,
limiting wage increases to less than
the employer had offered.
And no doubt unionized public
service jobs will be lost in Ottawa as
the Conservatives try to fulfill their
promise to tame the deficit.
Union leaders, a key part of the
opposition New Democratic Party
support base, will tell anyone who
will listen that the Conservatives are

anti-union, anti-worker.
Yet unionized workers clearly vote
for Conservatives in droves. Based on
the riding splits, it would not be surprising to find that more union members vote Conservative than NDP.
How can this be?
Broadbent once explained the loss
of Oshawa by arguing that once union
members win salaries that make them
among a community’s highest-paid
workers, they become conservative
and maybe Conservative.
Or maybe it is simply that like proCanadian Wheat Board prairie farmers who vote Conservative, voters do
not always vote for their own economic or ideological self-interest.
Whatever the reason, it is difficult to
paint the Conservatives as antilabour when so many of their ridings
are strong union ridings.
access=subscriber section=opinion,none,none

NEWS

THE WESTERN PRODUCER | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | JUNE 30, 2011

11

& OPEN FORUM
CANADIAN WHEAT BOARD | VOTE

WEATHER | INFORMATION

Ottawa must listen to farmers on CWB

Rain or snow,
sleet or hail,
we want to know

Allen Oberg, a farmer from
Forestburg, Alta., and chair
of the Canadian Wheat
Board’s board of directors,
says farmers deserve
a vote on the board’s
monopoly

EDITORIAL NOTEBOOK

T

he Canadian Wheat Board is
the farmers’ marketing organization. As farmers, it exists for
us. We control the organization
through an elected board of directors. We pay all its costs. It should go
without saying that we should decide
its future.
Nevertheless, some say there is no
need for a farmer plebiscite on the
future of grain marketing because
the federal election gave the government a mandate on this issue (“Power of the people not part of CWB Act,”
June 23 by John De Pape.)
I dispute that the federal election
constitutes a referendum on the
CWB. Over the past several weeks
I’ve heard from plenty of farmers
who voted Conservative and are surprised the government of Canada
could make changes to the CWB
without a vote.
Farmers went to the polls with any
number of issues in mind: taxes, the
economy, crime, the gun registry,
health care, education, the deficit,
gas prices, foreign affairs, support for
the military.
I can understand why these farmers expected a plebiscite — because
the same Conservative government
held a plebiscite in 2007. That plebiscite was flawed, with a skewed quest i o n t hat o n e l e a d i n g p o l l s t e r
described as devious.
But the Conservative government

JOANNE PAULSON, EDITOR

H

Farmers believe they should have the final word on the Canadian Wheat Board, says the board chair. | FILE PHOTO
and Mr. De Pape still felt there was a
need to hold it. They seem now to
have changed their minds.
Yet what’s different? In 2006, the
Conservative party also won every
rural seat in the CWB’s designated
area. The only thing that has changed
is the Conservative party won a lot
more seats in Ontario, giving it a
majority.
It makes me wonder if it is afraid of
what the results would be, especially
on wheat, the single biggest crop
grown in Western Canada today.
Farmers may differ on their views
about the value of the single desk, but
it’s clear that they believe farmers
should have the final word on what
happens to the CWB.
In our 2010 Producer Survey, three
out of four farmers said the government does not have the right to eliminate the CWB’s single desk without
farmer consent.

That’s why it was gratifying to hear
the premier of Manitoba stand up for
the rights of prairie farmers and
demand that farmers decide this
question.
We are encouraging everyone to
sign the province’s online petition at
Manitoba.ca. The CWB also has its
own petition posted online at cwb.ca,
which can be downloaded and circulated.
As a farmer, I believe the future of the
CWB is crucial to the business of farming. It affects the competitiveness of
prairie wheat and barley in markets
around the world. And it’s essential to
the spirit of democracy: the current
Canadian Wheat Board Act states that
farmers should decide.
The CWB is a democratic organization run by farmers for farmers. The
CWB sells farmers’ grain to 70 countries around the world, and returns
all proceeds, minus operating costs,

to farmers. Not one dollar of taxpayer
money goes into this organization.
Prairie grain farmers fund its operations. It’s our money. Let us decide its
future.
I want to be clear: the point is not
about retaining the CWB’s single
desk. This isn’t about keeping jobs in
Winnipeg nor the imminent threat to
the Port of Churchill, which is utterly
dependent on wheat exports.
This is about respecting farmers’
basic democratic rights. These are the
same rights Ontario farmers exercised when they decided, through
their elected representatives on the
Ontario Wheat Producers Marketing
Board, to end their wheat marketing
monopoly.
And producers in Quebec have
consistently chosen to maintain their
single-desk wheat marketing board.
Why should prairie farmers be
denied that same vote?
access=subscriber section=opinion,news,none

SOCIAL SHIFT | YOUTH EMPLOYMENT

Frustrations can cause revolt, but community spirit pulls through
MORAL ECONOMY

ROB BROWN

W

hen the American Revolution began in 1775, the
news travelled to England.
The eccentric King George III did not
like bad news and fiercely scolded
anyone who brought it up.
Finally, one courtier screwed up his
courage, and said, “your Majesty, the
American colonists are revolting.”
King George allegedly replied,
“they certainly are.”
That story may be apocryphal, but
it serves a point.
People could say the same about
those who recently trashed part of

downtown Vancouver. They were
revolting.
But, I believe many don’t understand the nature of that revolt. It was
like the American and French revolutions, but much smaller in scale.
It was the result of wide-spread
unhappiness, which is growing.
In our society, many believe if you
study, particularly in university,
you’ll get a good job and make lots of
money.
Experience says otherwise. In
Canada, among those aged 15-24,
unemployment was at 15 to 16 per
cent for the last couple of years, about
twice the average of all workers.
Similar, and worse, differences exist
in other countries.
Those who have jobs are often relegated to “cube farms,” rows of small
office spaces where they rarely use
the skills they have developed, such
as teamwork and innovation.
High unemployment also helped
cause the French Revolution.
As France modernized, machinery

use increased, drawing people to
factories. Work-seekers became victims of unemployment and poverty,
which resulted in sickness and hunger. Sick and hungry people are not
happy people.
The revolt in Vancouver wasn’t
about sickness and hunger, but it was
certainly a reaction to unemployment, frustration and politics.
Young people are becoming more
distant from Canada’s political processes. They don’t see the relevance
of an outdated political system that
doesn’t serve their needs. They are
angry about the sensed dishonesty of
politicians who don’t apparently
intend to keep promises and who
argue that black is white. We, who are
older, tend to put up with that nonsense; increasingly, young people
won’t.
Armed with their cellphones, people can easily organize and quickly
reorganize and shift places, causing
havoc as they move.
Given today’s unemployment,

pent-up frustration, anger and the
philosophy of radical individualism,
I was not surprised by the riot. It was
as violent as the hockey game which
preceded it.
Yet, two things surprised me.
One was the use of social media
against those rioters. Thousands of
pictures and videos, taken by people
who saw the action, were turned over
to the police. The new media have
reporters everywhere.
The other surprise was the extent to
which people helped. Some took
burning material out of cars. Some
blocked smashed windows and
doors. Many came out to help clean
up after the misadventure. Community spirit lives, in crisis.
Clearly, we’re seeing significant
social shift, which, I think, will lead to
changes in all our social structures.
But I have no idea when that will be
clearly noticeable or what the new
world will look like.
access=subscriber section=opinion,news,none

Rob Brown is an ethics student in Saskatoon.

ere’s a quick quiz.
What has been the top story
in western rural Canada so
far this year?
a) weather
b) weather
c) weather
If you chose one of the above, you
are obviously correct. The only other
story that even comes close is labour
disputes, but not getting your mail for
three weeks does not remotely compare to not getting any seed in the
ground.
I would very much like to try out my
quiz on Conservative MPs and see if
they can get it right.
I have my doubts, because last
week, 49 scientists with term jobs at
Environment Canada got their pink
slips. Granted, they are not permanent staff members, but this is just
the beginning.
Over the next four fiscal years, the
government plans to hack 1,211 jobs
from Environment Canada, or 21
percent of the workforce. The only
other department to be hit harder is
Canadian Heritage, which will lose
33.4 percent of its staff — although
the actual number of employees, at
579, is much lower.
Staff growth, unsurprisingly, will
come in corrections, taxation, immigration, justice, industry, border
services and a few other areas. On the
bright side, Agriculture Canada will
accrue 115 positions over the next
few years; on the dark side, that’s a
meager two percent increase.
Which cuts are the worst depends
on your point of view, certainly; other
people will be less happy with other
departmental cutbacks.
My POV, however, is that slicing
Environment Canada even further
— after decades of reductions — is
egregious and ridiculous.
There are so many climate-related
questions. Why is the flooding so
extreme this year? How can we better
predict extreme weather? What
might the future hold? Is there a tornado brewing nearby? Will there be
two feet of snow tonight?
Has no one in Ottawa noticed that
Canadians need and deserve more
and better climate information? We
need climate scientists and meteorologists across the country — not
just a few scattered among big cities.
I’ve said it before, but I’m saying it
again: the industries and residents of
Canada must have excellent weather
and climate services. Environment
Canada does its best, but it needs
more resources — not fewer — to
keep up with a crazy and possibly
changing climate.
access=subscriber section=opinion,news,none

12

JUNE 30, 2011 | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | THE WESTERN PRODUCER

OPEN FORUM
LETTERS POLICY:

JOINT INTEREST

Letters should be less than 300
words. Name, address and phone
number must be included for
verification purposes and only letters
accepted for publication will be
confirmed with the author.
Open letters should be avoided;
priority will be given to letters written
exclusively for the Producer.
Editors reserve the right to reject or
edit any letter for clarity, brevity,
legality and good taste. Cuts
will be indicated by ellipsis (…)
Publication of a letter does not imply
endorsement by the Producer.

To the Editor:
Dear Canadian Wheat Board member: best of luck holding the status
quo with single desk selling. The
CWB has earned that luck.
When all this began around 1970,
the CWB had a very different business model than it has now. Since
then, not only has the board consistently generated premiums for producers, it has connected with the
quality concerns of consumers better
than any other bulk commodity
trader.

I believe the CWB’s business model
includes responsiveness to the needs
of any producer’s business requirements better than any other bulk
trader not using the CWB’s business
model could hope to do, with timeliness of cash flows and fairness in the
market.
The board has been a powerful
force holding back a competitive race
to the bottom among producers that
is in the financial interest of and all
too often characterizes other traders.
I think a fair argument can be made
that the board’s single desk has
helped to hold up farmgate prices for
producers of wheat and competing
access=subscriber section=letters,none,none

grains and grain products worldwide, while never relenting on providing quality standards consumers
have a right to expect.
Without the board’s single desk,
individual producers are left to the
mercy of the world’s four large traders whose business model is loaded
with costs and an unresponsiveness
to consumer requirements for safe,
nutritious, plentiful and affordable
food. The safety concerns seem all
too often to deal with the simple test
of toxicity. Is the food toxic? No. Then
it can be defined as food. Nutrition
and aesthetics may not be considered at all.
Consumers need the transparent
accountability of the board as much
as producers. Consumers and producers have a joint interest in the
board’s success in holding onto the
single desk.
Mike Klein,
Calgary, Alta.

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In her letter from June 3, Rosann
Wowchuk continues to mislead
Manitobans on the Bipole III transmission project.
Bipole III is an important project for
Manitoba, required to add reliability
to our electricity system. That is
exactly why Mrs. Wowchuk and her
NDP colleagues must be voted from
office, so the shorter, safer, cleaner
and less costly east side route can be
built for the new hydro line.
A secret report recently leaked to
the opposition from Manitoba Hydro
states that building the Bipole III
transmission line on the west side
rather than the east side of the province will invariably lead to rate
increases for Manitobans.
Further reports from Manitoba
Hydro have put the price of Bipole III
at $4.4 billion when the amount of
clean power wasted due to the length
of the line is included in the calculation.
In comparison, an east side line
would cost less than $800 million.
This difference in price will cost
every Manitoba family of four at least
$11,748. Desperate attempts to twist
statements by Manitoba Hydro’s
CEO serve only to reinforce the
NDP’s state of desperation.
She cites figures regarding the “life
of the project.” Using that same math,
your house should be free, but it’s
not. And neither is a hydro line. We all
have to pay for our bills, and so does
Manitoba Hydro….
The east side route will also allow
Manitobans to reap more benefits
from any export sales. Minnesota
and Wisconsin are to the southeast of
Manitoba.
Why then take a wasteful detour to
the west of Manitoba, only to come
back east eventually?
Rick Borotsik,
Progressive Conservative
critic for Manitoba Hydro,
Winnipeg, Man.

OFFENSIVE CARTOON
To the Editor:
First let me commend you and your
staff on an excellent website, which is

very good in many areas.
I am a former long-time WP subscriber who cancelled a couple of
years ago for two reasons. One was a
political bias I perceived. It seemed
that the Harper government was
mostly presented in a poor light. The
other was the cartoons from a certain
source, which I found to be infantile
and offensive.
I recently had occasion to browse
your paper on the web and, as I have
said, you have an impressive web
presence. This was, however, spoiled
for me by one of those cartoons. It
showed a father and daughter at the
dinner table with the caption of the
little girl saying, “if you treat your
cows so good, how did this one ended up dinner?”
I have a problem with that depiction of someone in my industry. Cattle people know that all of their cattle
end up being dinner somewhere.
What difference does it make on
whose plate they are? If you raise beef
cattle you must develop the emotional maturity to accept the end
result of your enterprise — that is to
harvest your animals for food. We try
to see that they live a comfortable
and carefree life while it lasts, but we
are not in denial about their eventual
fate. I am quite sure that the cartoonist’s attitude is not endemic to your
organization.
So my simple suggestion to improve
your paper would be to un-employ
the party who seems to have so little
comprehension or regard for the
people in the industry you serve, in
my humble opinion.
Edward Curry,
Youngstown, Alta.

MISLEADING MANITOBANS
To the Editor:
When it comes to Manitoba Hydro,
reliability is everything. It powers our
economy to the tune of half a billion
dollars every year, and it does so
while providing the lowest power
rates in North America.
Manitobans have learned that
(Manitoba Progressive Conservative leader) Hugh McFadyen has
been misleading them once again
when it comes to the west side Bipole
III line.
While McFadyen continues to
claim Bipole III on the west side will
have a price tag of over $11,000 (per
Manitoba family), the reality is
Manitoba families will not pay one
cent for Bipole III — it will be paid
for by export sales.
In fact, at Manitoba Hydro committee on May 30, Hydro president and
CEO Bob Brennan stated for the
record that even if there were no
export sales, the annual incremental
cost of building Bipole III on the west
side to Manitobans would be less
than $13.68 a year over the life of the
line.
In fact, if you multiply McFadyen’s
number by the 325,000 families that
live in Manitoba, you get $3.8 billion.
That’s more than the entire cost —
$3.2 billion — of the new Bipole line
and the new converters combined.
That means he must be planning to
cancel the converters and sell off
another $600 million worth of Manitoba Hydro assets.
That sounds like phase one of his
plan to privatize our utility.
Manitobans know they can’t trust

OPEN FORUM
the Tories to save Manitoba Hydro
— they remember when they promised not to sell off MTS. Manitobans
know that it was McFadyen himself
who was whispering advice in Gary
Filmon’s ear when he stood in the
legislature and said, “we had no
plans to sell the Manitoba Telephone
System.”
Less than two months later, the
company was gone.
Rosann Wowchuk,
Minister responsible
for Manitoba Hydro,
Winnipeg, Man.

them voted for the Conservatives.
Approximately 50 percent of those
voting were urban, leaving about 12
percent for the farm vote.
The law states that any changes to
the Canadian Wheat Board must be
decided by the farmers, not by the
government. Let us support the law.
Let the farmers vote to decide what
should happen to the CWB and let’s
have no more gag orders.
Mr. Premier, get your cabinet in
order and don’t encourage the feds to
break the law. Let’s have democracy
not dictatorship.

Anyone could still voluntarily deliver. With no license requirements,
anyone would be able to export wheat
or barley and their products.
The ability to freely market wheat
and barley will mean instant arbitrage between the Prairies and the
rest of the world, just like the rest of
Canada enjoys.
There will be no lineups at the U.S.
border as some naysayers claim.
They must still be thinking in CWB
price terms, where the prairie price
is substantially lower than the U.S.
and given the opportunity producers would flock to the higher price

THE WESTERN PRODUCER | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | JUNE 30, 2011

U.S. market.
With a free market, the price would
be the same. There would only be
product moving either way if there
was a shortage.
With a free market, there might even
be a flour mill or even a pasta plant
built in the West. There will be value
adding and wealth creation in the
Prairies with a free market.
The CWB monopoly issue is fundamentally a rights issue, not a money
issue. There is no legislation to pay
more or less for wheat and barley. It is
legislation used to deny my rights as a
Canadian to ownership and control

13

of the product I grew and financed
the production of.
Control of my own production is a
basic fundamental right as a Canadian that has been selectively denied
because I grew the grain on the Prairies. Freedom and equality can never
come too fast or too soon. How
unfortunate the CWB directors feel it
is their right to continue to deny me
my rights.
Thankfully the government has
seen fit to restore my rights.
Douglas McBain,
Cremona, Alta.

Roy Nelson,
Regina, Sask.

FARMERS SHOULD VOTE

LIFE MYSTERIES | BECOMING WHOLE

Our minister of agriculture for Saskatchewan appears mixed up in a
June 16 Regina Leader-Post article.
He states, “the majority of our supporters would like free choice in the
Canadian Wheat Board.”
Like our federal minister, he has forgotten that in the most recent vote for
wheat board directors, farmers voted
to support 80 percent of the directors
who support the single desk.
Before that vote the government
put a gag order on the board directors. They allowed the Tory members
to spend thousands of our dollars
sending letters to farmers encouraging them to support free choice. The
minister even removed thousands of
farmers from the voters’ list.
Stating the election vote proved
farmers want free choice doesn’t add
up. The Tories received 40 percent of
those that voted. Sixty percent of the
population voted, so 24 percent of

To the Editor:

ADVICE

OPPORTUNITIES

ACCESS

To the Editor:

RIGHTS ISSUE

The Canadian Wheat Board is a
product of the CWB Act. The CWB is
and always has been a government
legislated entity and the function of
the board of directors is to operate
the CWB in accordance with the government legislation.
Any director of the CWB that feels
they cannot fulfill their obligations
to follow the CWB Act given the
changes that are proposed should
resign.
The CWB creates a monopoly position by denying export licenses to
prairie producers. If you want to end
the ability of the CWB to create a
monopoly, just take out the national
licensing section of the CWB Act.
With no license requirement, the
CWB will still function as it is now;
they just lose the ability to force producers to deliver to the board.

Separate, but still part of the whole
SPIRITUAL VIGNETTES

JOYCE SASSE

O

ne of the deepest mysteries of
life became apparent to me
once we got into the school
lab and were each given a small glob
of liquid mercury to manipulate.
You can separate that bubble of
mercury and place smaller bubbles
here and there on your work space,
but when you start moving those
small bubbles around, they have a
great tendency to re-attach themaccess=subscriber section=opinion,none,none

selves to each other.
At camp that summer, we had been
trying to penetrate the mystery of
what God might be like and how
there could possibly be any godliness
in each of us.
“The spirit in me meets the spirit in
you,” we sang. “Alleluia … God’s in us
and we are in God. Alleluia.”
Well, alleluia. I saw the likeness in
my sample of mercury. The bubble
can be broken up, but it still maintains its mercury-ness. For a while the
fragments exist as separate entities,
but there comes a time when the
parts are attracted to each other to
re-form a whole.
God the Creator gives life and substance to all of us. Through our birth
we become entities of the whole,
growing, developing, leading separate lives.
But we have this affinity, this com-

monness with each other and with
our Source. And when the time
comes for our departing, we again
become encompassed within the
whole.
In the many years that followed that
first recognition, I have listened to
and tried to find a more complete
understanding about the source of
our being, but for now I remain content.
What thoughts do you have to
share?
“I thank You God for this amazing
day … I who have died am live again
today, and this is the sun’s birthday,
this is the birthday of life and of love
and wings.…”
— e.e. cummings
Joyce Sasse writes for the Canadian
Rural Church Network at www.canadian
ruralchurch.net.

International trading ofﬁces and ext
ensive processing capabilities means
we can ﬁnd the best market opportu
nities for western Canadian produc
ers.

14

JUNE 30, 2011 | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | THE WESTERN PRODUCER

NEWS

RECYCLING BUSINESS IN THE BAG

GROWING SEASON | FROST-FREE DAYS

Farmers face more
variable weather
More extreme wet and dry years in the past decade
BY KAREN BRIERE
REGINA BUREAU

Brothers Larry, left, and Henry Hofer from Green Acres Colony near Hussar, Alta., operate Crowfoot Plastics, a
plastic recycling facility, on their colony. The Cheadle Lions Club, in co-operation with Wheatland District 4-H
Clubs and the County of Wheatland organized a Grain Bag Roundup where farmers could bring used grain bags
to be recycled. | KEVIN LINK PHOTO

CWB FUTURE | THINK TANK REPORT

People who live near North Battleford, Sask., say they have never seen a
drier spring than this one.
The March through May period was
the driest since records were first
kept 70 years ago, said Environment
Canada senior climatologist David
Phillips.
The area received 11 millimetres of
precipitation, significantly down
from the normal level of 70 mm.
But the strange thing, weatherwise, is that last year was the wettest
on record for the same time period
and location, when nearly 200 mm of
rain fell. It’s that increased variability
that frustrates farmers, policy makers and climatologists.
“The big story for agriculture is the
fact that the growing season has been
less predictable, less dependable,”
Phillips said.
He checked June-August data on
the Prairies for the last 63 years and
calculated the top 10 wettest and top
10 driest years. He found twice the
number of “weird and wild” extremes
in the past 10 years than he would
have expected.
“This is what drives farmers off the
deep end,” he said.
The atmosphere becomes turbulent and chaotic as it looks for a plateau and a way to stabilize. The
weather becomes unpredictable.
“You can’t blame growers for not
heeding the advice of so-called

experts,” Phillips said.
Climate change, on the other hand,
is a more gradual process to which
farmers and others can adapt.
That change is lengthening the
growing season.
“We find a significant increasing
trend in the length of the growing
season and in the associated available heat,” said an article published
in the April 2010 Journal of Applied
Meteorology and Climatology,
which analyzed data from 1895 to
2007 to determine long-term agroclimatic trends.
“The winter temperature is less
damaging and the frost-free periods
are longer.”
Phillips recently provided data on
frost-free periods that should have
been more accurately described as
freeze-free. Frost-free is the date
between, on average, the last spring
frost and first fall frost. Freeze-free
calculates when the mean temperature stays above the freezing mark.
“Freeze-free and frost-free will both
be longer (as a result of the changing
climate),” Phillips said.
The normal frost-free period in
Saskatoon from the 1880s to 1910 was
117 days. It climbed to 121 days during the following 30-year period and
126 days between 1950 and 1980.
Phillips said the figure is now likely
around 130 frost-free days, compared to 164 freeze-free days.
However, the frost-free season is
also increasing, and models suggest
it could be 145 days by the 2020s.
access=subscriber section=news,none,none

The Canadian Wheat Board should
lose its monopoly if it cannot publish
commercial information that proves
its single desk status creates a better
deal for grain farmers, says a business think-tank.
The Toronto-based C.D. Howe
Institute said wheat board claims
that it is a big enough player in world
grain markets to affect prices and
returns is likely inaccurate.
“If the CWB cannot demonstrate
that sole buying and selling authority
is necessary to delivering better
prices for farmers, it should not have
that authority,” said a June 23 commentary by former University of
Manitoba agricultural economics
professor Al Lyons and Saskatchewan farmer and former grain trader
Richard Pedde.
“The world wheat market has
changed and grown.… If justification
ever existed for the CWB’s mandatory status on the basis that its world
market power enabled it to generate
better prices for domestic farmers, it

seems to have passed. It is time for
reform.”
The Conservative majority government has promised to introduce legislation this autumn that will end the
monopoly Aug. 1, 2012. A fierce
political battle in Parliament over the
issue is expected through the autumn
and winter session.
The business-oriented C.D. Howe
research organization is named after
a Liberal cabinet minister who in the
1950s was minister of industry in
charge of the CWB and its monopoly
before the Liberals lost the 1957 election.
The analysis noted that Canada’s
share of world wheat production has
fallen from eight percent to less than
four percent since 1962.
“Meanwhile, Canada’s share of the
export market has fallen from over 25
percent to less than 14 percent over
the same period. If the CWB ever
exerted pricing power in world wheat
markets, it seems unlikely or impossible that it should do so now.”
The Howe Institute research paper
said a voluntary wheat board could
survive with farmer support.
access=subscriber section=news,none,none

Canadian grain handlers reject
suggestions that the Canadian
Wheat Board would be unable to
function as a commercial entity if the
board’s monopoly was terminated.
Members of the Western Grain
Elevator Association indicated last
week they would welcome discussions with the board.
Executive director Wade Sobkowich said his association’s members
would be happy to talk with the board
about how to ensure that it remains
intact after August 2012. The federal
government has indicated it intends
to end the wheat board’s marketing
monopoly over wheat and barley
effective Aug. 1, 2012.
“We see a fair bit of grain potentially being moved through the
Canadian Wheat Board after Aug. 1,
2012,” said Sobkowich. “We are
more than willing to sit down with
the Canadian Wheat Board and
negotiate the terms of a marketing
agreement or a handling agreement
to deal with those tonnes that are
delivered through the wheat board.”
Sobkowich said the association,
whose members include Viterra,
Richardson International, Parrish &

Heimbecker, Cargill, Paterson Grain,
Louis Dreyfus and the Weyburn
Inland Terminal, had been trying to
steer clear of the politically charged
debate. However, it felt comments
made recently by CWB chair Allen
Oberg warranted a response.
Oberg said recently that he doubted
the board would continue to operate
if it lost its single desk powers.
Sobkowich said Oberg’s comments
caught WGEA members by surprise
because none of them had been
asked for input on how a post-monopoly board might function.
“We (the WGEA) have taken the
approach that this (the future of the
CWB) is not our issue. This is an issue
for farmers and the government to
decide,” Sobkowich said.
“But we want to be here to make
sure that whatever system we’re given works.… We want it to be known
that we view ourselves as continuing
to be partners with the Canadian
Wheat Board in the future.”
Oberg said a revamped wheat
board would face significant obstacles. With no grain handling assets
and no capital base, a revamped
board would rely on competing grain
companies to do business.
Grain moving through a voluntary
wheat board in an unregulated and

purely commercial environment
could receive low priority treatment
in terms of access to inland facilities
and shipment to port position, he
said.
“It’s fine to have access to facilities,
but will it be competitive access?”.
The wheat board is examining various operational models from the
status quo “right down to a windup
or dissolution and everything in
between,” he said.
Some models could benefit producers, but require government regulation. Oberg reiterated that the
best alternative for farmers is for government to hold a plebiscite on the
future of the wheat board and abide
by farmers’ wishes.
He said the board’s survival would
be tenuous unless the government
agreed to concessions:
• Ottawa could allow the wheat
board to use tax dollars to establish
a capital base for operations and
infrastructure investments.
• Government could write regulations that guaranteed the board
access to privately owned grain
handling facilities and equivalent
treatment during shipping.
• The federal government could
continue financial guarantees
against board borrowings.
access=subscriber section=news,none,none

NEWS

THE WESTERN PRODUCER | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | JUNE 30, 2011

INSECTS | BITING MIDGE

15

POLITICS | AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE

Insect bugs humans, animals alike Agriculture committee

sees new faces, duties

New problem arises for Manitobaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s water challenged producers
Biting midge,
also known
as black fly,
sand fly or
no-see-ums,
are a problem
for western
Manitoba this
year. The flies
can chew cattles
ears and udders
until they bleed.

BY ROBERT ARNASON
BRANDON BUREAU

Another plague has been unleashed on western Manitoba this
year.
An insect known as biting midge,
black fly, sand fly or no-see-ums has
been driving people and livestock in
southwestern Manitoba to distraction since the middle of June.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just a nightmare,â&#x20AC;? said
Melissa Atchison, Manitoba Agriculture livestock specialist in Melita,
Man.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been processing (cattle) and
theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all over you. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re everywhere.â&#x20AC;Ś You get (them) behind your
sunglasses and up your nose. They
leave quite big welts, too.â&#x20AC;?
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to know for certain without
seeing the insect up close, but Manitoba government entomologist John
Gavloski said the tiny flies are likely
biting midge.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t usually see a tremendous amount (of them), but with all
the rain this year, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re seeing more
of them,â&#x20AC;? he said.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;If itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tiny black flies, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s usually
black flies or biting midgeâ&#x20AC;Ś. The biting midge is fly-likeâ&#x20AC;Ś but not a black
fly. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably the best way to
describe it.â&#x20AC;?
Gavloski said the tiny flies arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a
disease threat to humans but are

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA PHOTO

extremely annoying because they
arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t deterred by insect repellent.
Atchison said they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t transmit
disease to cattle but can cause production losses.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;They just drive (the cattle) crazy.
They will mill around in the corner of
a pen â&#x20AC;Ś and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not always out
eating grass, like they should be,â&#x20AC;? she
said.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are really no huge danger,
but (the flies) can chew their ears till
they are bleeding, and their udders.â&#x20AC;?
Producers should take the usual
steps to protect their animals, such as
putting out oilers and making sure
there is bush on the pasture so that
cattle can rub and get some relief.
She said another option is to apply
access=subscriber section=news,none,none

PURDUE UNIVERSITY PHOTO

a systemic insecticide such as Silencer or Boss on bulls.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a little expensive to put on your
whole herd â&#x20AC;Ś (but) we like to put
(insecticide) on the bulls to keep
them a bit comfortable because
theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re working pretty hard.â&#x20AC;?

CFIA bureaucrat retires early
Carole Swan navigated the agency through difficult
waters during her four year tenure as president

There will be a bit of the old and a
lot of the new when the House of
Commons agriculture committee
resumes work after Parliament
returns in September.
The committee gathered for its
organization meeting June 14 amid
promises to work co-operatively
from all sides.
The committee often bogged down
in bitter partisan wrangling in the last
Parliament.
Larry Miller, a beef producer from
Ontarioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bruce County, will be back
as chair after being nominated by the
government and confirmed by
members.
O ntar io Conser vative Pier re
Lemieux, parliamentary secretary to
agriculture minister Gerry Ritz, is
back on the committee as are Saskatchewan Conservative Randy
Hoback, Alberta Conservative Brian
Storseth, British Columbia New
Democrat Alex Atamanenko and
Ontario Liberal Frank Valeriote.
But there are many new faces as
well in light of the May 2 election,
which returned a majority Conservative government, reduced the Liberals to third place and obliterated the
Bloc QuĂŠbĂŠcois.

In this Parliament, the committee
will have seven Conservatives, four
New Democrats and one Liberal.
In the last minority Parliament, it
was six Conservatives, three Liberals,
two Bloc QuĂŠbĂŠcois and one New
Democrat.
The cast of characters will be significantly different.
New Conservatives on the committee are Ontarioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ben Lobb, LaVar
Payne and Bob Zimmer.
Southwestern Ontario New Democrat Malcolm Allen is the new NDP
critic and committee vice-chair.
Liberal Frank Valeriote of Guelph,
Ont., one of four Liberals on the last
committee, is now the new party
agriculture critic and sole Liberal
member.
Former Bloc QuĂŠbĂŠcois agriculture
critic AndrĂŠ Bellavance, one of the
few surviving BQ members and a
former vice-chair, does not have a
seat on the committee because with
just four seats, the Bloc is not recognized as an official party.
He says he will sit at committee in
hope that members occasionally
allow him to ask a question.
The NDP added two rookie rural
Quebec MPs to its committee roster
â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Francine Raynault, a farmer and
real estate agent, and Jean Rousseau,
a promoter.
access=subscriber section=news,none,none

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CFIA | JOB OPENING

Canadian Food Inspection Agency
president Carole Swan is retiring four
years into a five-year appointment.
The 36-year veteran bureaucrat led
the agency during the deadly 2008 listeria outbreak and the subsequent
years of trying to restore faith in the
food inspection system, including
using government promises of new
money to expand the inspection staff.
The CFIA and its inspectorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; union
continue to argue over exactly how
many inspectors have been added.
The resignation is effective June 30,
and the prime ministerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office will be
scrambling to find a replacement.
Industry insider speculation is that
executive vice-president George Da
Pont has the inside track on the job. He
has been in the position for a year and
is a former Canadian Coast Guard
commissioner from Saskatchewan.
Agriculture minister Gerry Ritz said
the Prime Ministerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office and Privy
Council office will make the hiring
decision.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I will not interfere in that,â&#x20AC;? he said.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I know it takes the right person to do
the job and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be interested to see the
short list.â&#x20AC;?
Ritz praised Swan.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sorry to see Carole go, sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
done an excellent job at CFIA,â&#x20AC;? he
said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve worked through some
serious issues together and I respect
her abilities.â&#x20AC;?
Reaction to her legacy was mixed.

BY BARRY WILSON

CAROLE SWAN
CFIA

Canadian Meat Council executive
director Jim Laws said his meat packer
members are sorry to see her leave.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very complex position with
responsibility for a lot of acts and a lot
of employees,â&#x20AC;? he said.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;We always found her to be very
courteous and respectful of our views.â&#x20AC;?
Bob Kingston, president of the
Agriculture Union of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, which represents CFIA inspectors and often
clashed with Swan over staffing and
funding issues, said he respected her.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think she did the best she could
with the cards she was dealt,â&#x20AC;? he said.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I always found her open to conversation. She wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t from the agriculture industry nor from a sciencebased department so it was a tough
job for her to assume.â&#x20AC;?
However, he said she also was part
of the problem by not admitting that
the agency is underfunded and
understaffed.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are in a finger-in-the-dike
situation always and they know it, so
I wish she had been more open about
the challenges the agency faces,â&#x20AC;? said
Kingston.
access=subscriber section=news,none,none

Transport officer Brian Brouwer instructs a trucker before beginning an
inspection under the trailer. He was one of 32 safety officers working at
the Coutts, Alta., inspection point for Roadcheck 2011, an annual safety
inspection blitz on commercial vehicles. | BARB GLEN PHOTOS

Nobody volunteers to crawl underneath for a look when loaded cattle
liners come through the vehicle
inspection station at Coutts, Alta.,
heading for Montana.
Nevertheless, liners and many other trucks and trailers did get inspected at the June 7-9 Roadcheck 2011
that took place across Alberta. It’s an
annual event designed to promote
safety in commercial vehicles that
ply the nation’s highways.
In Coutts, near the Alberta-Montana border crossing, Russ Fikowski
said trucks chosen randomly undergo the Commercial Vehicle Safety
Alliance Level 1 inspection, which is
standard across North America.
Transport officers first use a portable brake tester on all axles. Then
it’s onto a visual and mechanical
inspection that includes lights,
wheels, tire pressure, steering components, exhaust system, all suspension components, low air warnings and buzzers, load security,
appropriate placards, driver documents and log books.
The process takes about 25 minutes
if all is well, said Fikowski, a 26-year
veteran of the job.
“Most truckers are quite happy to
do it.… They’re very interested to see
how their brakes and trucks are.
They’re more concerned than we
are. Most of them are quite good
about it. And it’s for their own safety
as well.”
Trucks that pass inspection receive
a decal that is valid for three months,
freeing them from other inspections
during that time unless transport
officers spot something obvious at
access=subscriber section=news,none,none

Andrew Enns of Coaldale, Alta., awaits instructions from transport
officers when he is pulled in for an inspection.

RUSS FIKOWSKI
INSPECTOR

weigh scales or other sites.
Officers who find faults that affect
safety put the trucks out of service.
Fines can also be issued when warranted, Fikowski said.
Murphy’s Law being what it is, the
first truck seen by a reporter during a
recent visit to a check stop failed a
brake test on almost all counts, which
officer Jeff Austin said is unusual.
Failure on one or two axles is not
uncommon, but full failure is fortunately rare.
The truck was halted pending

mechanical remedy.
So was a truck with a driver over the
allowable limit for operating hours. A
truck with smoking tires was made to
sit for a cool-down until it was safe to
examine. Another was allowed to
proceed after fixing a malfunctioning
taillight.
Andrew Enns of Coaldale, Alta.,
pulled in with a super-B loaded with
grain. He was philosophical about
the process while applying and
releasing trailer brakes for the officers.
“I think it’s a good thing. In a way, it
sucks for the truck drivers because
we’ve got to get somewhere, but in
the grand scheme of things, I think it’s
a good thing.”
Thirty-two trained officers were
involved in this venue of the threeday road check, which operated 24
hours a day.

Canadian canola growers get the
sense the federal biodiesel mandate
will be delayed.
The proposed two percent mandate is scheduled to be implemented
on July 1, after publication deadlines
for this issue.
Rick White, general manager of the
Canadian Canola Growers Association, said there could be some “slippage” on the start date.
A spokesperson for Environment
Canada said a decision on the coming-into-force date would be coming
soon.
Regardless of when it starts, representatives of the canola and biodiesel
sectors applauded the government
for moving forward with a mandate
that will create a new annual market
for an estimated one million tonnes
of North American canola.
But they are upset that a biofuel
incentive program failed to deliver
any sizable canola biodiesel plants
on the Prairies.
“The Ecoenergy (for Biofuels) pro-

Milligan Bio-Tech Inc. uses a unique process that can draw upon off-spec
canola. | MILLIGAN BIO-TECH PHOTO
gram did not come through for Western Canada in that regard,” said
White.
There is an estimated 20 to 30 million litres of existing canola biodiesel
production to fill a mandate that will
require about 300 to 350 million litres
of biodiesel in Western Canada
annually.
The canola industry had hoped
there would be two large-scale

canola biodiesel plants operating by
now to fill that mandated demand.
“Despite everybody’s best efforts
we didn’t get those facilities,” said
White.
Jim Everson, vice-president of corporate affairs with the Canola Council of Canada, agreed that the Ecoenergy program failed to deliver.
“We are disappointed that through
the process of allocations of monies

in that program there hasn’t been a
large-scale biodiesel facility supported.”
He thinks there may be some funding left in the EcoEnergy program
that could be reallocated to a similar
type of program the government
could create to fund one or two largescale western Canadian canola
biodiesel projects.
Joe Holash, chief executive officer of
Milligan Bio-Tech Inc., one of few
operating canola biodiesel plants, has
a different take on why no large-scale
facilities were constructed.
He believes investors are gun shy
because the biofuel industry has
been overhyped. Plenty of grandiose
proposals obtained government
money, leaving investors with the
false impression that they actually
got built.
“Maybe that causes some concern
in the investment community that
it’s overbuilt and in fact it has turned
out being quite under-built,” said
Holash.
Another explanation for the dearth
of construction activity is the rising
cost of canola seed.

“Prices are high right now and for a
lot of folks who have a model where
they use food grade material it’s very
challenging to show good economics
and get that capital,” said Holash.
That’s where Milligan has a competitive advantage over other
biodiesel projects. The company
employs a unique process that
makes use of off-spec canola.
Milligan produces three to five million litres of biodiesel annually and
has plans to expand output to 20 million litres, which would meet about
half of Saskatchewan’s two percent
mandate scheduled to come into
effect on July 1, 2012.
“We have a model that works and
we have to exploit that and do bigger
and better things,” said Holash.
Despite the contributions of company’s like Milligan, the vast majority
of Ottawa’s mandated biodiesel
demand will be filled by imported
canola biodiesel produced in the
United States.
“That’s unfortunate because we
had a perfect opportunity to have the
industry built and supplying Canada
here in Canada,” said White.
access=subscriber section=news,crops,none

17

THE WESTERN PRODUCER | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | JUNE 30, 2011

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Using soft water and adding ammonium sulfate can increase the effectiveness of herbicide or pesticide applications. |

FILE PHOTOS

AGRONOMY | HERBICIDE, PESTICIDE EFFICACY

Water quality key to chemical effectiveness
Hard water, high pH | Knowing what corrective measures to take can help prevent an adverse reaction with herbicides
BY ROBERT ARNASON
BRANDON BUREAU

Most farmers know that water with
a pH level higher than seven can
affect the performance of insecticides, said Jason Deveau, an application technology specialist with the
Ontario agriculture ministry.
However, he said only a few producers know how to treat alkaline
water so that it’s suitable to mix with
pesticides.
“If it’s outside of the (pH) range,
what they do about it is where things
get a little hairy. Do you try and acidify it? How do you acidify it?” said
Deveau, who helped write an article
last year for the ministry’s website on
water quality and its impact on herbicide and pesticide efficacy.
“That’s the question you get. How
do I change the pH of my water without causing some sort of adverse
reaction with the product I’m spraying?”
The article’s key recommendation
was that farmers know the pH and
hardness of water before it goes into
the tank because 99 percent of spray
solution is water.
Kristen Callow, weed management
program lead with the Ontario agriculture ministry who worked on the
article with Deveau, said producers
should test their water at least once a
year.
She said there are three ways to
measure pH: a probe and meter, litmus paper or field kit. The probe and
meter is the most accurate method
and costs around $30.
Individual test strips that come in a
kit can test for water hardness.
Deveau said labels on pesticides
and herbicides provide information
on the ideal pH, hardness and other
water quality factors.
High pH and hard water often combine to reduce herbicide effectiveness, but he said farmers should
probably ask for advice before taking
corrective action.
“A lot of guys know their water pH,
but some will be hard pressed to tell
you what it means,” he said.

“Some guys will mix incorrectly and
they’ll over-acidify, or over-alkalize,
and you end up negatively affecting
the product.”
Rick Holm, professor emeritus and
weed specialist at the University of
Saskatchewan, said most producers
in Western Canada know that hard
water can degrade the effectiveness
of some common herbicides.
Holm and his U of S colleagues
studied water quality in Saskatchewan in the 1990s and its impact on
herbicide efficacy.
“The main issues were hard water
with glyphosate and the 2-4-D
Amine formulations…. When you
add glyphosate to water that have
those ions in it, the glyphosate molecule reacts with the calcium and
magnesium. Essentially, it inactivates it (glyphosate),” Holm said.
“Also, suspended material in water,

A lot of guys know their water
pH, but some will be hard
pressed to tell you what it
means.
JASON DEVEAU
ONTARIO AGRICULTURE MINISTRY

silt and organic matter, that would
again affect glyphosate and Reglone.”
Farmers have learned to use softer
water if it’s available, he said, but
where there are no alternatives, most
producers have also learned how to
treat water with ammonium sulfate,
which prevents the calcium and
magnesium ions in the hard water
from bonding with the glyphosate
molecule.

Adding more glyphosate is another
option.
“Now it (glyphosate) is incredibly
cheap,” Holm said.
“So if you have a water source that
is going to reduce the activity of
your glyphosate by some degree …
sometimes the cheapest alternative is just to put more glyphosate in
the tank.”
Holm said little research has been
done on the relationship between
water quality and herbicide performance since his work on the topic.
However, he is confident that large
corporations do their homework on
water quality before they release new
products into the marketplace.
“There’s been a few new chemistries come along, but there’s no real
indication that they’re affected by
water quality. There are no red flags
going up.”

Spray is 99 percent water so it is
important to test water every year,
says an application specialist.

access=subscriber section=crops,none,none

Producers may try to compensate for high pH in their water, but incorrect mixing can reduce the chemical’s effectiveness.

PRODUCTION

THE WESTERN PRODUCER | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | JUNE 30, 2011

19

WATER SAFETY | WELL TESTING

Well users have false sense
of water safety: survey
Many wells unsafe | A 2010 Alberta survey will help program
co-ordinators improve education on chlorination and water quality testing
BY BARB GLEN
LETHBRIDGE BUREAU

How well is your water well?
An Alberta study on rural water
wells found that most people don’t
know.
Responses from 1,014 surveys
returned in 2010 showed only 10 percent of Alberta water well users test
their water well quality at least annually and only 30 percent regularly
shock chlorinate it, which involves
flushing large amounts of chlorine
into the water system.
Approximately 450,000 households in the province rely on wells for
their household needs.
Krista Tremblett is the former program co-ordinator for Working Well,
an Alberta Environment program
initiated in 2007.
She said she was not surprised by
the survey results, having learned
about the infrequency of water well
testing from organizing focus groups
and workshops.
“That and the survey told us people
don’t necessarily see the need or the
value in testing,” Tremblett said.
The survey, done by the University
of Alberta on behalf of the provincial
environment department, resulted
in eight key findings, among them
that 36 percent of respondents with
abandoned wells on their properties
had properly decommissioned
them.
It also found a low level of knowledge about water sources and a false
sense of security about drinking
water safety. Lack of money wasn’t
usually a reason for poor well maintenance.
“It gave us more information on the
current stewardship practices of well
owners in Alberta, and what were the
access=subscriber section=crops,none,none

factors that would encourage or discourage them from adopting certain
best management practices like
shock chlorination or water testing,”
Tremblett said.
The survey’s executive summary
indicates water quality should be a
concern for well water users.
“Research projects on private
water well quality across Canada
suggest that about 20 to 40 percent
of private wells fall outside of safe
drinking water guidelines,” it said.
“In a 1997 study of water wells on
rural farmsteads in Alberta, more

KEY FINDINGS OF WATER
WELL SURVEY
• There is a low level of well
maintenance and stewardship.
• Most respondents had little
knowledge about the source of
well water and well function.

than 32 percent of wells tested
exceeded at least one health related
contaminant, with 14 percent having
total coliform bacteria exceeding
limits and six percent showing presence of fecal coliforms.”
Tremblett said co-ordinators
would use survey results in the next
phase of the Working Well program
when deciding where to focus their
resources.

A 1997 RURAL WATER WELL STUDY FOUND

32%
EXCEEDED GUIDELINES FOR AT LEAST ONE
HEALTH RELATED CONTAMINANT

THE SUPER-FAST,
SUPER-QUIET
SUPER CONVENTIONAL

• Most people have a false sense of
security about well water safety
and unjustified confidence in their
water supply knowledge.
• Knowledge of good water well
care does not motivate people to
practice good well care.
• Health and aesthetic concerns
were key motivators for those
who did take proper care of water
wells.
• Cost is not a significant barrier to
good well care.
• Many respondents want more
information on taking care of water
wells.
• Those wanting information on
well care tend to seek it from
water well contractors or others
in the community.

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Cattle do not like to graze on the spiky awns of foxtail barley, allowing it
to spread. | FILE PHOTO

WEED OF THE WEEK:
FOXTAIL BARLEY
Foxtail barley has benefited from
increased use of reduced tillage. It is
a prolific seed producer and has
become a growing problem across
Western Canada.
Hordeum jubatum is also known
as wild barley or other names that
compare the weed’s bushy awns to
the tails of a number of mammals.
Foxtail barley is often confused
with green foxtail because of its similar name, rather than appearance.
Green foxtail has a compact, dense
seed head, while foxtail barley has
long awns that look more like a
brush.
Foxtail barley has shallow, fibrous
roots and relies on seeds to spread.
Saline tolerant, the weed will take
over areas where tractors and spray-

ers fear to tread.
While palatable to livestock early
in the season, the spiky awns make
the plant immune to grazing for the
rest of the season.
Tillage is effective for control. Fall
spraying of glyphosate works well
for control.
Ahead of seeding, the addition of
four grams of tribenuron as a soluble granule to glyphosate will help
suppress foxtail.
In season grassy weed products for
broadleaf crops, such as quizalofop,
are effective for suppression from
three leaves to three tillers.
I n p a s t u re s, p ro py z a m i d e i s
applied to soil with high water rates
in forage stands ahead of freeze up
to deal with the pest in the spring.
access=subscriber section=crops,none,none

While brewers are confident that maltless brewing won’t replace the traditional brewing process, the industry
says it could affect the barley and malting industry. | FILE PHOTO
BARLEY | BREWING

THIS WEEK: Dan Vanbeselaere of Waskada, Man. was seeding June 11 when his tractor hit a frost boil
and got stuck. After snapping a tow rope on the second pull, he says he realized they needed a digging
machine. “We knew it had to be pulled backwards using the tractor’s hitch because the front tires were
more than half way down. It took two hours just to dig out the air seeder’s hitch with a spade to unhook,
because the safetyy chain was caught
g underneath.” The next morning, he brought in a trackhoe to dig a
100 foot ttrench 12 feet deep behind the tractor so it would be pulled up and
Around 4 p.m., using the last tow strap and clevises, the hoe ﬁnally inched
out. Aroun
tractor out of the trench. “Mother Nature just played a trick on us, as she
the trac
has done all spring.” | DAN VANBESELAERE PHOTO

The Western Producer has joined with Flaman
to deliver weekly highlights from the company’s
Great Stuck in the Muck Photo Contest. To
see the rest of Flaman’s 2010 and 2011 entries in
the photo contest, visit stuckinthemuck.com/

on a new brewing process that could
reduce demand for high quality malt
as an essential brewing ingredient.
Enzyme-assisted brewing uses
commercial enzymes to promote
fermentation in malted or unmalted barley, meaning brewers can
reduce their reliance on finished
malt or, in some cases, eliminate
i t e n t i re l y f ro m t h e i r b re w i n g
process.
Enzyme-assisted beers are typically lighter and less flavourful than
traditional malt-based brews, but
consumers in some beer markets
prefer lighter beers that have a mild
flavour.
Rob McCaig, managing director of
the Canadian Malt Barley Technical
Centre in Winnipeg, said products
such as Ondea Pro have the potential
to erode demand for finished Canadian malt.
“We want to know what percentage
(of sales) maltsters could lose on this,
so we have to take a really good look at
it,” said McCaig.
“Realistically, I think the big brewers will be a bit apprehensive about
getting into (maltless brewing) in a
big way.… I see this enzyme system
really being taken up in … the development of new brands … and by
smaller breweries.”
Commercial enzymes are already
widely used in China and are beginning to generate interest in other
parts of the world as well.
Chinese brewers have so far added
enzymes only to low quality malt, but
in theory finished malt could be
eliminated from the brewing process
completely.
Using 100 percent unmalted barley
would keep brewing costs in check
but could have significant implications for the North American malting
industry.
Brewers in Europe and North
America are already experimenting
with maltless brewing using a heatstabilized pre-mixed enzyme product called Ondea Pro from Novozymes.
Most industry stakeholders agree
maltless brewing will never displace
traditional brewing, but they recog-

nize that it could significantly affect
the barley and malting industries.
McCaig said a product such as
Ondea Pro could benefit the Canadian barley industry, particularly in
years when high-quality barley is in
short supply.
Combining 80 to 90 percent finished malt and 10 to 20 percent
unmalted barley could stretch limited malt supplies, reduce brewing
costs and produce beer that retains a
traditional malted flavour.
“If we have another incredibly
horrible crop like we did (last) year,
we could still say to buyers of Canadian malting barley, ‘look, we can’t
sell you any malting barley this year
that you can malt … but you can still
buy malt barley out of Canada, and
use the (enzyme process) at 10 or 20
percent.”
Global supplies of malt quality barley were tight last year, largely
because Canada and Australia, two
of the world’s biggest producers, had
poor barley harvests.
Exports of malting barley and finished malt were down significantly in
North America.
The Canadian Malting Barley
Technical Centre is conducting
studies on enzymatic brewing to
learn more about beer quality and
its potential impact on Canadian
maltsters and Canada’s foreign barley markets.
McCaig said the centre is comparing beers derived from 100 percent
malted barley, 100 percent unmalted
barley and combinations of malted
and unmalted barley.
All the beer will originate from
the same shipment of AC Metcalfe
barley.
“We’re going to do some blending
… and then compare all these beers
to se how comparable they are,”
McCaig said.
“You can’t produce the same type
of beer from 100 percent enzyme
brewing as you can from 100 percent
traditional malt brewing. We want to
see where that crossover is. Is it 30
percent? Is it 20 percent? Or is it 50
percent? We want to give maltsters an
idea of what their risk is.”

PRODUCTION

THE WESTERN PRODUCER | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | JUNE 30, 2011

21

BARLEY | MARKETING LABEL

New barley classification aimed at higher food sales
Food barley | A food barley designation is being considered to help promote the grain for use in health products
BARLEY BENEFITS

BY BRIAN CROSS
SASKATOON NEWSROOM

The Canadian Grain Commission
could soon change the way it classifies Canadian barley.
It is assessing a plan to replace
Canada’s existing hulless barley class
with a new food barley classification.
The new class, if approved, would
include hulled and hulless barley
varieties that are suitable for milling, pearling and other food-related
uses.
Terry Young, an Alberta barley
grower and member of the Western
Standards Committee, said Canadian
consumers are warming up to food
that contains barley ingredients.
A food barley class would provide
an effective marketing tool for food
manufacturers and could result in
better prices for Canadian barley
producers.
“The intent for barley producers
and the barley industry is to increase
demand,” said Young.
“Our demographic is getting older.
We have a lot of baby boomers and
they want healthy products, so we
think we can attract some consumers
to barley.”
The push to create a new food barley class is part of a larger industrywide effort to expand barley use
beyond the malting and animal feed
markets.
Barley use by the food manufacturing industry is still relatively small,
but consumer demand for healthy
products is growing. The Canadian
barley industry is hoping to capture its share of the growing specialty health food market.
Young said the industry would like
the new food barley designation to be
in place by August 2012, before
Health Canada completes deliberations on an industry request to recognize the crop as a health promoting
food ingredient.
The industry claims that barley
reduces cholesterol levels and slows
glucose absorption in diabetics.
If Health Canada endorses that
claim, food manufacturers would
be allowed to include it on the
access=subscriber section=crops,none,none

• Barley can be milled to produce
flour for pancakes and muffins,
flakes similar to rolled oats for
breakfast cereal, and bran for
healthy diets.
• Whole grain hulless barley contains
various nutrients and is rich in beta
glucan, a type of carbohydrate that
plays a role in regulating glucose
and cholesterol.
• Whole grain hulless barley is low
on the glycemic index (GI).
• Low GI food assists in the
prevention of Type 2 diabetes and
helps maintain healthy blood sugar
and blood cholesterol levels.
• Barley is a rich source of soluble
and insoluble fibre.
• Hulless barley contains fibre
throughout the entire grain and not
just in the outer portion.
• Barley’s soluble fibre slows the
absorption of glucose into the
bloodstream, resulting in a feeling
of fullness that may help
control weight gain.
Source: Alberta Barley Commission

labels of products that contain barley ingredients.
Health Canada approved a similar
health claim last November that was
submitted by the Canadian oat
industry.
Creating a new food barley class at
the grain commission and securing a
government-endorsed health claim
would expand barley use and
enhance the crop’s reputation
among health conscious consumers,
Young said.
The commission now divides barley into three classes: malting, hulless and general purpose.
Darryl Beswitherick, quality assurance manager for the grain commission, said the food class, if approved,

End users and food
manufacturers see a need for a
food barley class because they
don’t want to tell consumers that
they’re using a feed barley or a
general purpose barley (in food
production).
TERRY YOUNG
WESTERN STANDARDS COMMITTEE

would primarily serve as a marketing
tool for the barley and food manufacturing industries.
“There’s been a lot in the news

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recently about barley and the value of
it in food and its health benefits,”
Beswitherick said.
“It is a pretty small niche market
right now … but it’s something that
we’re trying to be proactive about in
terms of developing a grade schedule … that is relevant to the food
industry.”
Besw ither ick said producers
wouldn’t likely notice any immediate
impact if the new classification was
approved.
However, Young suggested that it
could result in premium prices and
more identity preserved contracts for
the production of designated food
barley varieties.
“Australia already has a food barley

class, and there are a number of other
jurisdictions that do as well,” said
Young.
“End users and food manufacturers
see a need for a food barley class
because they don’t want to tell consumers that they’re using a feed barley or a general purpose barley (in
food production).”
The experts examining the proposal were scheduled to meet this
week, said Beswitherick.
They will likely present their findings in late October before the fall
meeting of the Western Standards
Committee.
The committee advises the commission on grading and classification
issues.

22

JUNE 30, 2011 | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | THE WESTERN PRODUCER

NEWS

FORAGE | RIGHT OF WAY

Ditch hay mowers need to know their dates
Right-of-way mowing carefully governed | Neighbouring farms have first shot, but only for a certain amount of time

Ron Hansen knows the value of
ditch hay and when it needs to be
cut.
That was reinforced several years
back when the producer from Maple
Creek, Sask., says he had a rough
experience trying to cut ditch hay
outside his area.
Dry conditions meant there was
little grass in the ditches around
Maple Creek, so he travelled to nearby Shaunavon, where he knew of

abundant grass growing.
“It was three weeks after the due
date and we had nothing here for hay.
We went down there and cut about
three miles before this one guy and
his sons stopped us.
“I don’t know whether they
didn’t realize the due date of it, or
what it was, but I’ll tell you there
was almost big trouble there. They
were shaking their fists at us,” he
said.
“I was in the right. There was no two
ways about that because after that
due date you give up your right.… I

bet they got at her the next year.”.
Stage one of Saskatchewan’s
annual ditch mowing program
began June 7.
The highways ministry reminds
farmers and ranchers that hay in provincial highway ditches is available
to salvage for free.
Hay in these ditches, known as the
highway right-of-way, can be cut and
baled before July 8 by the bordering
landowner.
After July 8, any person may salvage
the hay without the permission of the
nearby landowner provided salvage

operations haven’t started.
“This salvage opportunity is to give
farmers and ranchers the option to
use this hay for free to complement
their existing agricultural operations,” said highways minister Jim
Reiter.
Hay must be cut at a uniform
height, and bales must be located at
least eight metres from the shoulder
of the highway. All bales must be
removed by Aug. 8.
The ministry is again operating an
early mowing program between
June 7 and July 15 along heavily travaccess=subscriber section=news,crops,livestock

elled roads. Ministry contractors
will mow a four-metre-wide strip
adjacent to the highway shoulders
on highways 1, 7, 11, 16 and 39,
along with portions of Highways 2,
3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10 and 55.
Between July 15 and the fall, which
is known as Stage 2, ministry contractors will conduct regular ditch
mowing.

ALL ABOUT THE TIMING
• June 7 to July 15 (Stage 1): Fourmetre-wide strip mowed adjacent
to highway shoulders by ministry
contractors occurs only along heavily travelled highways with some
additional mowing as required.
• July 8 (key hay salvage date):
Before this date, a landowner or
lessee nearest to a highway ditch
has the first option to cut or bale
hay. After this date, anyone may
cut and bale the hay or grass in a
highway ditch without getting the
permission of the nearby landowner, provided salvage operations
haven’t started already.
• Between July 15 and the fall (Stage
2): After this date, ministry contractors will begin mowing the
entire width of ditches along all
four-lane highways, while a fourmetre cut adjacent to the highway
shoulder on all other highways.
Some additional mowing may also
occur.

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by BASF at 1-877-371-BASF (2273).

Residents, small businesses and
municipalities affected by flooding in
southwestern Alberta in late May will
soon be able to draw on $25 million in
disaster assistance from the province.
Funding for uninsurable losses was
announced by the Alberta government June 22.
Applications to access the fund can
be made at various centres now being
set up, municipal affairs minister Hector Goudreau said in a news release.
The disaster recovery program is
designed to address flooding from
heavy rain May 25-29. The rain, along
with ground water saturation due to
snow pack melt, caused many waterways in the region to spill their banks.
Goudreau said the money is needed to help recipients return uninsurable damaged property to pre-disaster functional condition.
A significant portion of the funding
will help municipalities with infrastructure damage, emergency operations and clean-up costs, the release
said.
Potential applicants should first ask
their insurance companies for a letter outlining uninsurable damage.
Photographs of the damage should
also be taken.
access=subscriber section=news,none,none

THE WESTERN PRODUCER | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | JUNE 30, 2011

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reliability and productivity. And right now Spring 2012 Case IH seeding equipment has
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Fields near Melita, Man., are a mess. Water has delayed or prevented seeding and allowed weeds to flourish.
Farmers cannot reach many of their fields, let alone farm them. | ED WHITE PHOTO

A few days of warm weather may
have allowed a few producers in the
region to seed a crop after the June
20 insurance deadline. However,
less than 30 percent of cropland has
been seeded this year south of the
Trans-Canada Highway.
Producers are spraying cereal
crops for weeds where wet conditions permit.
Canola ranges from emergent to
three and four leaf stage. Producers
have reported significant flea beetle
access=subscriber section=news,crops,none

pressure on canola.
Hay land remains extremely wet
and harvesting will be difficult.
CENTRAL

Weeds a concern
Acreage for many crops, including
corn, soybeans, edible bean, flax,
peas and sunflowers, will be lower
than intended because of soggy
seeding conditions this spring.
Producers continue to spray for
weeds as dandelions, thistles and
quackgrass thrive in wet conditions.
Weed pressure is expected to cause
problems throughout the growing
season because of late and uneven
crop emergence.
Significant to high flea beetle pressure on canola has been reported
around Portage la Prairie.
NORTHWEST

Some areas faring well
Soil moisture and field conditions
range from extremely wet around
Ste. Rose du Lac to nearly ideal
by Roblin and Swan River.
Consequently, 50 percent of
cropland is seeded east of Dauphin
but nearly 100 percent is seeded
west of Grandview.
Most of the canola around Swan
River is past the cotyledon stage,
and canola fields are even more
advanced by Roblin.
Pasture and hay land in the Westlake region is wet as water levels
in Lake Winnipegosis, Lake Dauphin and Lake Manitoba remain
extremely high.
EASTERN

Spraying for fusarium
In general, fields are not as wet
as other parts of the province and
crops are more advanced. Early
seeded canola has begun to bolt and
other canola fields are in the two to
six leaf stage.
Soybeans are nearly 100 percent
emerged and the earliest seeded
crops are in the first trifoliate.
Winter wheat is in good condition and spraying for fusarium head
blight has begun.
Haying has begun and one-third of
the alfalfa crop has been harvested
in some areas. Pastures are good.
INTERLAKE

Pastures poor
Nearly 90 percent of cropland was
seeded before the June 20 insurance
deadline in the southern Interlake,
but only 50 percent in the northern
Interlake.
Haying has started and yields are
below normal. However, quality is
reported as above normal.
Wet pasture conditions are having an impact on animal health in
the region. Wet areas are difficult to
cross and there have been reports of
foot rot and leg injuries.

SASKATCHEWAN
SOUTH

Heavy rain, flooding
The region received more unwelcome moisture June 14-20.

NEWS
ALL CONDITIONS AS OF JUNE 24

Southeastern areas received 18
to 124 millimetres of precipitation while those in the southwest
received three to 100 mm.
Many areas have recorded more
than 250 mm of rainfall since April
1. As of June 20, Weyburn had
received 383 mm and Big Beaver
415 mm of moisture.
Grain farmers can’t get into their
fields to control weeds and cattle
farmers can’t access their pastures
to process and vaccinate animals.
Many producers are still feeding
herds in their yards.
Seeding is 44 percent complete in
the southeast and 82 percent in the
southwest.
Topsoil moisture conditions on
cropland are 86 percent surplus in
the southeast and 48 percent surplus in the southwest.
All crops are behind normal development, with the exception of fallseeded crops.
Farmers are hoping for clear skies
and good drying weather.

had patchy germination are now filling in and are in good condition.
Some of the canola crops in the
northwest had to be reseeded due to
frost damage.
Weed control has been delayed
because of excess moisture.
Like everywhere else in the province, farmers in the north are hoping for hot weather so crops can
catch up.

Most seeded crops are generally
in good condition, although development is delayed because of the
cool temperatures. Some crops are
yellowing in the field and stripe rust
has become a serious condition in
some fields.
Overall moisture is rated as good
to excessive. Pasture and tame hay
conditions are in good condition
with grass growing well.

ALBERTA

CENTRAL

SOUTH

Pests a problem

Stripe rust a problem
Cool, damp conditions continue to
hamper field operations.
Seeding is about 93 percent complete, but most unseeded acres will
likely stay as summerfallow.
Spraying for weed control is 25
percent complete.

CENTRAL

Weed control delayed
Most farmers welcomed the 18
to 103 mm of precipitation they
received, but they now need heat to
get the crop, hay land and pastures
growing.
Topsoil was drying out in some
areas, so the rain was timely for
those farmers.
However, there was so much
moisture in some areas that weed
control operations have halted until
the ground dries up. That is a growing concern because many fields
in east-central Saskatchewan have
heavy weed growth. Leaf diseases
are also showing up.
Seeding is 86 percent complete in
east-central and 99 percent complete in west-central Saskatchewan.
About half of the cereals and pulse
crops in the east-central region are
at normal stages of development,
while two-thirds of the spring cereals and oilseeds are behind normal.
About half of the spring cereals
and oilseeds in the west-central
region are at normal stages of development compared to 57 percent of
the pulses and 80 percent of the fall
cereals.
Some flooding occurred in areas
that received significant rainfall.
Cropland topsoil moisture is rated
at 59 percent surplus in the eastcentral and 19 percent surplus in
the west-central regions.

Seeding is nearing completion in
the region, but unseeded fields will
likely remain unseeded because of
excess moisture.
Crops are generally in good condition, although development is one
to two weeks behind normal. Spraying for weeds is about 27 percent
complete.
Some areas have reported prob-

THE WESTERN PRODUCER | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | JUNE 30, 2011

lems with flea beetles, army cutworms, wireworms and gophers.
Overall moisture is rated as excellent. Pasture conditions are improving and farmers are generally happy
with the good pasture growth.
NORTHEAST AND NORTHWEST

Moisture improves crops
Needed rain was finally received
over much of northern Alberta,
although it was not uniform and
some areas received less than 10
millimetres. Surface moisture
conditions improved a rapidly
deteriorating crop.
Seeding in the area is complete.
Some canola was reseeded after an
earlier frost, but generally crops are
in fair to good condition.
Weed spraying is estimated at
40 percent complete.
Pasture and tame hay growth has
also been slow because of spotty

PEACE

More rain needed
Farmers breathed a sigh of relief
with recent rain over most of the
region.
Seeding in the area is complete
and spraying for weeds is estimated
at 71 percent complete. Overall
surface moisture is rated as good to
excellent, but farmers are still looking for a bit more rain.
Some areas have reported crop
damage from frost. Grasshoppers
have become a problem in some
areas because of the earlier dry
weather.
Pasture conditions are rated as
fair to poor because of earlier dry
weather. Recent rain should help
cattle producers who no longer
need to worry about poor grass
growth on pastures.

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NORTH

Area receives timely
rain
Rainfall in the northern grain belt
was 42 to 190 mm, which is close to
the total rainfall received on most
farms since April 1.
Topsoil moisture is rated 69 percent surplus in the northeast and 20
percent surplus in the northwest.
Hail damage in the Porcupine
Plain, Nipawin, Bruno, Meota and
Glaslyn areas is expected to be significant.
Between 59 and 83 percent of
crops are at normal stages of development in the northeast. About half
of the fall cereals and oilseeds and
60 to 63 percent of pulse crops and
spring cereals in the northwest are
at normal development.
Some acres are expected to be lost
because of flooding, but rain was
timely for most growers. Crops that

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26

JUNE 30, 2011 | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | THE WESTERN PRODUCER

ProtectingM ore
ThanÂ Your Crop
World export markets play a critical role in the ongoing success of the
canola industry. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to protect these markets by
staying within the Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) they set for pesticides.
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than your crop by following these proper practices:
t 6 OEFSTUBOEBOEGPMMPX1SF)BSWFTU*OUFSWBMT
(the time between application and cutting of the crop)
t 4UBZDMFBSPGVOSFHJTUFSFEQFTUJDJEFVTF
t 'PMMPXBQQSPQSJBUFQFTUJDJEFMBCFMEJSFDUJPOT
t "WPJEJNQSPQFSVTFPGSFHJTUFSFEQSPEVDUT
t 1SFWFOUQPUFOUJBMHSBJODPOUBNJOBUJPO

Are you export ready?
For more information go to www.canolacouncil.org

CONDITIONS
• The Western Producer reserves the right to revise, edit,
classify or reject any advertisement submitted to it for
publication.
• The Western Producer, while assuming no responsibility
for advertisements appearing in its columns, endeavors to
restrict advertising to wholly reliable firms or individuals.
• Buyers are advised to request shipment C.O.D. when
purchasing from an unknown advertiser, thus minimizing
the chances of fraud and eliminating the necessity of
refund if the goods have already been sold.
• Ads may be cancelled or changed at any time in accordance
with the deadlines. Ads ordered on the term rates, which
are cancelled or changed lose their special term rates.
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however caused.
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address must submit their name to this office before such
an advertisement is accepted for this publication. Their
name will be kept confidential and will not appear in any
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FOR COMPLETE LISTING AND PICTURES www.fraserauction.com Consignments to this sale are welcomed.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL ALBERTA - JOE 1-306-735-7550

Not responsible for errors in description. Subject to additions or deletions. Property owner and Fraser Auction Service
not responsible for any accidents occurring. GST & PST where applicable. Terms: Cash or cheque.
NOTE: cheques of $50,000 or more must be accompanied by bank letter of credit.

USED BELTING, 12” to 84” wide for feeders and conveyors, lots of 30” 1-1/8”
thick for lowbeds in stock. Ph Dave, Wainwright, AB, 780-842-2491 eves/weekends.
NEW SHIPMENT OF used belting, various
lengths and widths to 70” wide.
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with 3176 Cat engine, 350 hp, 13 sp,
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306-740-7771.

BIN MOVERS. The largest fleet of bin NEW AND USED grain baggers and extracmoving trailers and equipment in the tors. Call 306-934-1414, Warman, SK.
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New 20 gauge wide-corr steel sheets 48â&#x20AC;?H.
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Complete packages include freight to any
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1-866-781-9560, fax 306-781-0108. For all
pricing, details, pictures visit our website:
www.willwood.ca

SPRAYTEST REMOTE BOOM CONTROL
Use handheld remote to select and turn on individual
boom section for nozzle checks. Easy install with
harness to plug in to your sprayer.
Ph: 306-859-1200
spraytest@sasktel.net

HOME OF THE ELECTROGATOR II.
Renke centre pivots, lateral pivots, minigators, travelling guns and new and used
DIESEL GENSET SALES AND SERVICE, pumps. Can design your system and in12 to 300 KW, lots of units in stock, used stall. Phone 306-858-7351 Lucky Lake, SK.
and new, Perkins, JD, Deutz. We also build
custom gensets. We currently have special WANTED: 1/4 mile and 1/2 mile irrigapricing on new 90 KW Perkins units. Call tion wheel moves in good cond. Can pick
for pricing 204-792-7471, Winnipeg, MB.
up or will pay for delivery. 250-765-2429,
Kelowna, BC.
NEW AND USED generators, all sizes from
5 kw to 3000 kw, gas, LPG or diesel. Phone 605 IH w/Berkley B6 pump and gen., vg
for availability and prices. Many used in cond., best offer. Phone 403-327-9757,
Coaldale, AB.
stock. 204-643-5441, Fraserwood, MB.

LAKEVIEW LAND & CATTLE CO. looking
to buy all classes of cattle directly from
the farm. No commission. No freight. Low
shrink. We pay the same day cattle are
weighed. Bonded and licensed in SK. No
herd is too small. Give us a call, Matt Veer
306-728-1582 or 306-786-2888.

Honeysuckle Lake & Cottages 460 deeded & 80 leased acres. The possibilities of this
property are immense. It can be used as a private or corporate retreat. A golf course
or anything else you can imagine. 8 furnished 26x26 log cabins with tile ﬂoors. In ﬂoor
heat & wood stove. Fully equipped kitchens, showers, washing machine, ﬁre-pits & BBQ
ﬁrewood. Water comes from 2 wells for the cabins 3 other wells for the ranch home &
buildings. 3/4 mile of private lakefront access. The lake is approximately 200 acres with
a launching area for canoes. This is a working ranch with a turn key resort/retreat on the
property. currently runs 100 cow/calf pairs. Paved highway right to the main buildings.
Access to the cabins is by a private road which doubles as an airstrip for ultra-light. A
unique property with the the only deeded land on this lake. $16,000 annual oil revenue.
Directions 15 minutes south of Rocky Mountain House Show. Showings by appointment
only. For details call:

Love Is Possible... Camelot Introductions
is a successful Matchmaking Service serving MB and SK. All clients are interviewed
in person. We have 18 years experience
and have matched 1000’s of people. Interviews in SK are being held July 15-17.
Call now to book your appointment with
award winning Matchmaker. Must be nonsmoker and able to pass criminal check.
w w w. c a m e l o t i n t r o d u c t i o n s . c o m
204-888-1529.

Are you planning to build a home in 2011.
Wood Country will build you a RTM or a custom
built home on site to meet your requirements.
Wood Country prides itself on building top quality
homes with a high level of customer satisfaction
since its inception in 1980.

HOMES STARTING at $19,900, Kamsack
SK. The Garden of Saskatchewan. Most
city amenities in a town of approx. 2000
people. Only 15 mins. from Duck Mountain
Provincial Park, one of the nicest parks in
the province. View all of our listings at
www.hawrylukagency.com or for more
info. call Maureen Humeniuk, Hawryluk
Agency Inc. toll free 1-866-477-7771 or
306-542-2422, Kamsack, SK.

REDUCED!!! RM SPIRITWOOD: Twelve
quarters (option to lease 2 more), home
quarter on shores of Larson Lake. All quarters in a block, all fenced and cross-fenced
(4-wire). Creek runs through all quarters.
Three hay fields. Equal tame hay and bush
(approx.). Branding corrals, 2 water bowls,
corrals, barn, maternity pen, heated shop.
Upgraded family home. MLS®394857 Call
Shawna Schira-Kroeker 306-446-8800,
Re/Max of the Battlefords, North Battleford, SK. www.remaxbattlefords.com
RM OF SPIRITWOOD MLS #4044690 320
acres and RM of Meeting Lake MLS
#401518 480 acres located within 1 mile
of each other. Of the 800 acres only approx. 100 acres is in tame hay. Fenced
with fairly good access. This is some of the
best natural and scenic land you will come
across, lots of white tail deer, moose and
bear in the area. Land backs onto the
Meeting Lake Community Pasture. The
seller will consider splitting up the land.
For viewing call Lloyd Ledinski, Re/Max of
the Battlefords, 306-446-8800 or
306-441-0512, North Battleford, SK.

TWO HOUSES ON HOME QUARTER,
can be sold separately. Prices depend on
acres req’d. 45 mins. East of Lloydminster,
SK, in the St. Walburg school district. Call
306-260-4692 for more information.
TREED SIX ACRES, next to golf course,
Canwood, SK., $65,000 OBO. Phone
250-833-0515.
35 MINUTES SW of Saskatoon, SK, 20
minutes from Agrium potash mine. 160
acres of grass w/T. Eaton home, all renovated, new high efficient furnace w/air,
new attach. garage, siding and roof, 40x60
steel quonset, good shop, 2001 32x40
horse/calving barn, lots of corrals and
auto waterers, 2 new wells. 306-221-7332,
306-280-0989 or g.ross@sasktel.net
17 ACRES LOCATED between Saskatoon
and Moose Jaw/Regina at Bladsworth, SK.
just outside of Davidson. 1866 sq. ft.,
1-1/2 storey in good condition. Outbuildings include double garage, 50x80
quonset with 220 wiring, storage buildings
and corrals. If you are tired of city living
this is a good acreage to consider.
Call now, Realty Executive MJ, Donna
Morrison 306-681-9309, 306-631-9201.

PARK MODEL IN 55+ park in Mesa, AZ for
sale. Pics avail. For more info. phone
403-787-2437. Email: seeleyrl@yahoo.ca
ON THE GREENS COTTONWOOD, AZ.
Gated 55 plus manufactured home golf
course community located in the heart of
Verde Valley just 20 mins south of Sedona,
1 hr from Phoenix, Prescott and Flagstaff.
All homes come complete with garage,
covered deck and landscaping. Land lease
fees include $1 million clubhouse, large indoor lap pool, hot tub and complete gym.
Also includes water, sewer, trash pickup
and reduced golf fees. For information call
1-800-871-8187 or 928-634-7003.

LARGE CAPACITY TARPS to cover grain
piles of varied sizes. Cover long grain piles
with 53’W, 90’W, or 109’W piles of any
length. 253,000 bu. pile covered for
$11,666. All sizes in stock. Best quality
available Canadian made quality silver
tarps avail. for all sizes. Shipped overnight
to most major points in Western Canada.
For all pricing, details, and pictures visit:
www.willwood.ca or Willwood Industries
call toll free 1-866-781-9560, fax
306-781-0108.

TARPCO, SHUR-LOK, MICHEL’S sales,
service, installations, repairs. Canadian
company. We carry aeration socks. We
now carry electric chute openers for grain
trailer hoppers. 1-866-663-0000.
TEMPORARY GRAIN BIN replacement
tarps for all sizes from 22’ diameter to 105’
dia. Best quality available Canadian made
quality silver cone shaped tarps available
for all sizes. All sizes in stock. Shipped
overnight to most major points in Western
Canada. For all pricing, details, and pics
visit our website at www.willwood.ca or
phone Willwood Industries toll free
1-866-781-9560, fax 306-781-0108.

HAYTER DRILLING LTD. Over 50 yrs in
groundwater industry specializing in 5” 30” wells. Premium quality materials used
in new construction. Old well servicing and
rehab. New equipment and experienced
crews. 1-888-239-1658, Watrous, SK.

MOBILGRAIN LTD. has a new and unique
style of handling and exporting grain. It
currently has openings at it’s Bethune and
Aylesbury plant and rail car loading facilities. Located in central Saskatchewan.
Farm or grain handling experience an asset. Phone 3 0 6 - 5 2 9 - 6 7 6 6 or visit
www.mobilgrain.com

Is looking to fill
the following position at
our Tisdale, SK location:

Agricultural Service Technician
See our website for more info:
www.johnbob.ca under the ‘Service’ link
or contact John Zslnka

@ 306-873-4588
or service@johnbob.ca
WATKINS PRODUCTS 1-800-663-5252
Buy retail/wholesale or start your own
business. www.pepperplease.com ID
019485 email watkins@pepperplease.com
PERMANENT FULL-TIME POSITION for
family person that would like to enjoy
country life. Have good modern house
with all appliances, separate yard, good
roads. School bus to door, 12 miles West
of Cut Knife, SK. Would consider selling
acreage to right candidate. Must be honest, ND, motivated, enthusiastic and able
to work without supervision. Work consists
of some farm, shop and oilfield related
work. Must be mechanically inclined, Class
1A an asset. Wages depend on experience.
References required. Fax 306-398-2891 or
email bodonfarms@gmail.com

RECON IN LLOYDMINSTER is looking for
Wireline Field Operators. Clean Class 1 or
3 required. Experience and safety tickets
are an asset, but we will train the right
people. Fax resume to 780-440-6207 or
email dclark@reconpetro.com

DRILLERS HELPERS required for Alberta
based seismic company. Must have valid
driver’s license, first aid an asset. Please
fax resume to 780-960-0755.

CANADIAN COWBOYS’ ASSOCIATION
is seeking a dynamic individual for the
position of General Manager. Reporting to
the Board of Directors, the role will be
responsible for the entire administration,
promotion and growth of the Association.
Demonstrated ability in the area of
promotion and experience with the sport
of Rodeo is an asset. Strong financial and
management skills preferred. Interested
applicants can find out more online at
www.canadiancowboys.ca and can submit
resumes and covering letter in confidence
to: gmsearch@canadiancowboys.ca no
later than July 8, 2011. Regina, SK.

Bulldog Vacuum Service Ltd. is an Oilfield
company based in Mannville, Alberta since 1996.
We are currently looking for experienced
Vacuum & Water Truck operators for this up and
coming season. Requirements are a minimum
Class 3 license with air and a good drivers
abstract also oil field tickets necessary.
Successful candidates will have lodging supplied
and a choice of work in Alberta, Saskatchewan
or Manitoba.
We strive for excellence and for that reason, our
employees are an important part of our business
and we offer top wages and an excellent benefit
package. Interested parties please forward a
copy of your resume, drivers abstract & oil field
tickets to:
Email: info@bulldogenergyservices.com
Fax: 780-763-6472 Phone: 780-763-6473

Is looking to fill
the following positions at
our Outlook, SK location:

(1) Agricultural Service Technician
(1) TruckDr iver
See our website for more info:
www.johnbob.ca under the ‘Service’ link
or contact Reg Allen

@ 306-867-9544

BJ Services Company Canada is the leading provider of high-pressure
pumping and coiled tubing services to the oil and gas industry in Canada. Key
to the company’s success is our focus on attracting and retaining the best
people, as well as the training and career advancement programs offered.

Tired of your Job? Do you want to
work for a company that rewards
their employees?
Then join the Movac Team!
VACUUM AND WATER
TRUCK OPERATORS
Accountabilities and Responsibilities:
• Provide vacuum and/or water
truck services to various customers
throughout Alberta and
Saskatchewan
• Daily inspection and preventative
maintenance of equipment while in
the field
• Follow and complete all safety
related protocol and paperwork
Knowledge and Experience Required:
• 3 to 5 years driving experience in
off-road/remote conditions
• Knowledge of the safe operation
of vacuum and/or water truck and
auxiliary equipment (Pump,
Agitator, TPC etc)
• Safety training: H2S, First Aid,
TDG, WHMIS, PST/CSTS,
Confined Space
• Class 3 License (Air Brake) and
clean drivers abstract
Interested candidates please
e-mail your resume, abstract and
training to ops@movac.ca
or fax to 403-201-3684.
Movac would like to thank all
applicants for their interest
POWER TONG OPERATORS wanted immediately. Top wages and benefits. Call
Night Hawk Power Tongs, 403-504-9699,
Medicine Hat, AB.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: General
Manager- Retail farm, construction and
hardware store in Dauphin, MB. For more
information see Service Canada’s listing
#5778806 at www.jobbank.gc.ca or visit
www.sammysfarmsupply.mfbiz.com

THE SHAMROCK CO-OP is looking for an
Agro Sales Manager. The responsibilities
would be: inventory management, farm
contacts, and administrative duties. Applicants must have a strong agricultural
background and posses excellent communication, customer service, and organizational skills. Computer knowledge (including skills in using spreadsheets), and a
valid drivers license are required. Wage
negotiable. Please respond by email shamrock.coop@xplornet.com or fax
306-648-2798. Located in Shamrock, SK.
Phone 306-648-3597.

We pride ourselves on delivering
customer value. Are you up to
the challenge?

The Brandt Group of Companies
is a dynamic and diverse group of
companies and a Platinum member
of the Canada’s 50 Best Managed
Companies Program.

SERVICE TECHNICIANS, PARTS & SALES PERSONS
Brandt Tractor is the world’s largest privately held John
Deere Construction & Forestry Equipment dealer. We have
positions available in many of our 21 branches across
Canada including the following:
s 3ERVICE 4ECHNICIANS BOTH &IELD 3HOP
s 0ARTS PERSONS
s 3ALES PERSONS

Find out more about our career opportunities at www.brandttractor.com or by calling
(306) 791-5979. To join our team email resume indicating position title and location to:
hr@brandttractor.com or fax (306) 791-5986.

brandttractor.com

CROSS-COUNTRY Sales and Service,
Sedgewick, AB is looking for a full-time
Polaris Technician to start immediately.
Must have working knowledge of snowmobiles and ATV’s. Training available.
Family owned dealership in east central
A B . C o n t a c t Ly n n 7 8 0 - 3 8 4 - 2 2 1 5 .
www.crosscountrysales.com
ELCAN FORAGE INC. has opening for an
Industrial MECHANIC/MILLWRIGHT.
Will include maintenance and service of
feedmill and farm equipment. Individual
must be able to fabricate, work effectively
on their own as well as with a team. Fulltime employment with health benefits.
Wage negotiable $18 to $25 per hour.
Send resume to Greg elcan@xplornet.com
fax 306-867-8353, phone 306-867-8080,
Broderick, SK.
HD TRUCK MECHANIC required for
small trucking company in Lloydminster,
AB area. License an asset but not necessary. Competitive wages based on experience and qualifications Please call John or
Ginette at 780-846-0002 or fax resume to
780-846-0005.

CENTRAL ALBERTA DEALERSHIP requires
a Journeyman HD MECHANIC. Looking
for the small town atmosphere with all the
amenities, this is the place for you! We are
close to major centres and located in a
very busy agricultural area. Excellent wage
and benefits depending on experience. Applicant must be self-motivated team
player, able to work well with others. Send
resume to Al York, fax 403-843-3430 or
email rimbeynh@telus.net Rimbey, AB.

WORK WITH US & GROW A CAREER
Glacier Media Group is growing.
Check our job board
regularly for the latest openings:
www.glaciermedia.ca/careers

Now hiring: MARKETING ADVISORS
FarmLink Marketing Solutions is the stand-out leader in providing grain
marketing advice to producers. Our strategies are built using models and
professional networks that have been maximizing farm profitability for
over 8 years.

FarmLink Marketing Solutions is 100% independent and focused solely
on selling crops successfully for Prairie farmers. If you are interested in
joining our vibrant group of Marketing Advisors, contact
derek.maclean@farmlinksolutions.ca, or call 1 (877) FRM-LINK.

The Western Producer Markets Moment service
provides you with a daily e-mail of crop and
livestock information, sent every afternoon after
markets close.
It’s easy to read. It pulls information together into
one simple report. It will keep you in touch with
the market and help you price and sell.
It only takes a moment. It’s free.
Sign up at:

The Prairie Farm Account Book
is designed for farm and ranch use. Whether it’s your
primary bookkeeping method or a supplement to computer
programs, the Prairie Farm Account Book is a simple, portable
and aﬀordable ledger to help you keep the books straight.

CLAY CENTER, Neb. — A heifer
that fails to get pregnant becomes a
rancher’s liability.
However, genetic researchers may
have discovered what goes wrong
with some of these animals.
A DNA mapping study to evaluate
breeding females found that a small
but significant percentage of open
heifers carried the Y chromosome,
researcher Tara McDaneld said during a recent genetics seminar at the
United States Meat Animal Research
Center near Clay Centre.
The researchers were looking at the
heritability of reproductivity, a difficult trait to find because it is influenced by multiple genes.
They used a 770K SNPs panel and
found the male chromosome was
showing up in various places along
the genome. This test can look at
770,000 locations on the bovine
genome.
“We wanted to look deeper into this
Y chromosome and why we were
seeing it in females,” she said.
The discovery needs further study
to see if it has a direct correlation to
fertility problems.
“On those ranches that have a high
emphasis on fertility, we were not
seeing the Y chromosome,” she said.
DNA was tested from 1,000 continental and 1,000 British cattle on
commercial operations.
They do not know if the tests found
only fragments of the Y chromosome, but it seems to prevent pregnancy.
“Can we determine which females
possess this SNP and what would it
mean to the industry if we could
identify females right away before
breeding that are not going to get
pregnant so you can automatically
put them in the feedlot instead of
spending time on them trying to get
pregnant?” McDaneld said.
Researchers checked their work by
running a test that is used to sex
embryos.
Some of same females tested Y
positive when only a male embryo
should carry it.
Researchers also checked to see if
the females were undetected freemartins, which are sterile female
fraternal twins. This did not seem to
be the case, but they plan to check
further.
“We took a pool of freemartins and
ran them on the chip and saw the
same thing, where you will see a Y
chromosome in these females,” she
said.
Freemartins that tested positive in
the sexing test also tested positive in
the DNA test.
Researchers also checked sires and
found one was responsible for two
heifers with the male chromosome.
access=subscriber section=livestock,none,none

Dale Clearwater of Hanley, Sask., ends a dusty day of branding cattle with a playful buck on a young horse June 11. “Don’t waste that good buck,” a
cowboy shouted as Clearwater rode the horse out. | WILLIAM DEKAY PHOTO

SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. — Saskatchewan’s chief veterinary officer
has commended the province’s cowcalf producers for wanting to raise
awareness of bovine viral diarrhea.
The Saskatchewan Stock Growers
Association passed a resolution at its
June annual meeting to lobby the
provincial government for a BVD
awareness strategy.
Another resolution asked the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency to
work with industry to return BVD
information to producers.
Dr. Greg Douglas said half of western Canadian beef herds have been
exposed to the virus, resulting in
costs of $10 to $60 per beef cow. A
recent study found natural infection
in 44 percent of herds.
The losses are difficult to measure
because they can manifest themselves in different ways: reproductive
losses, respiratory problems or animals that don’t do well.

Affected calves that look normal
can be unwittingly imported into a
herd, Douglas said.
Proper vaccination and biosecurity
can control the disease, but it continues to plague livestock producers
around the world.
Norway, Finland, Sweden and
Denmark have control programs and
are nearly BVD-free. Austria rid itself
of the virus in 2004.
The United States has voluntary
control programs.
Douglas said the Saskatchewan
government will take its direction
from producers on what kind of control they want.
“We probably need to sit down and
be specific,” he said in an interview.
“We need to talk about what it’s going
to cost and who it would impact.”
Identifying and removing infected
animals and implementing an effective vaccination program are critical
control measures. As well, verifying
the health status of new animals
entering the herd, particularly bred
females, is a must.

Persistently infected animals will
never be cured and will constantly
shed the virus, even when vaccinated.
Some SSGA members said feedlots
could help control efforts by identifying infected animals and contacting
the CCIA with the tag number. The
agency could then ensure that information goes back to the original
owner.
“We own the tool that could get
BVD cleaned up,” said one member.
Local CCIA producer support representative Nick Anderson said the
responsibility might be more appropriately handed to the industry and
the Canadian Food Inspection
Agency as a regulator.
SSGA director Lloyd Thompson
said producers must make it clear
they want CCIA to have a mandate to
help control BVD.
Meanwhile, Douglas said Canada’s
policy to eliminate anaplasmosis is
under discussion.
“In theory, it’s a production related
disease, but we’re certainly not seeing that in Canada,” he said.

“Even with the outbreak that we
had in Manitoba, there’s only one
clinical case so it’s a pretty minor blip
in terms of the larger disease situation.
“Producers face a lot of disease,
from respiratory diseases to scouring
type diseases, and this one should
not even almost be on their radar.”
Douglas said officials are still trying
to understand to what degree ticks
are carrying the disease and how
wildlife might be spreading it. Ticks
are moving further north in North
America, which will lead to more
tick-borne diseases in general, he
said.
There is no way to control the
organisms within the ticks, he added.
Infected animals go to slaughter
because there is no human health
risk. Manitoba officials have found
about 275 positive cases since 2009.
There are different types of anaplasmosis. A dog in Saskatchewan
was recently diagnosed with both
anaplasmosis and Lyme disease
from ticks.
access=subscriber section=livestock,none,none

CLUNY, Alta. — Buying breeding
animals sight unseen is common in
the hog industry, but a Quebec based
genetics company wants to change
that.
“Before everybody got so concerned about health protocol and
biosecurity, people were able to go to
somebody else’s barn and pick the
boars they wanted,” said Barry Tomiski,
vice-president of business development at Geneticporc, which supplies
boars and semen in Canada.
Geneticporc conducts live auction
sales from a new biosecure facility at
Cluny, an hour east of Calgary. Buyers can inspect what is on offer, check
the individual’s statistics and make a
decision.
“The common complaint I have
heard over the years is, ‘we wouldn’t
have picked a boar like that.’ It is a little bit like a lottery. Sometimes they
are really good and sometimes you
didn’t really like them.”
The company wants to turn the site
into a regular auction house that is
biosecure and dedicated to selling
boars derived from a single breeding
site in Quebec.
Called the Boar Store, the concept
allows buyers to view animals
behind a Plexiglas barrier and make
their selections after all health tests
are complete.
The business is aimed mostly at
Hutterite colonies in Saskatchewan,
Alberta and Montana, where natural
mating is used. The region has
160,000 sows and needs 8,000 new
boars a year.
The first sale was more of a look and
see event, although some boars were
sold privately. Bids at the auction
block were around $500.
Five breeds of high indexing boars
born last December were on offer in
a buyer’s choice format.
The company provides catalogues
with statistical information on rates
access=subscriber section=livestock,none,none

Potential buyers check out the boars on offer at a special live sale held at a biosecure site near Cluny, Alta. Buyers had a sales catalogue with
complete information on each one and could buy or pass. The sale was unique because boars are not usually purchased live but ordered from
genetics companies. | BARBARA DUCKWORTH PHOTO
of gain, feed efficiency, loin size and
back fat. Boars are also tested for disease.
No foreign vehicles are on site and
all visitors must wear special boots.
No producers touch the boars.
“From a biosecurity standpoint, we
have taken all the necessary precautions so we don’t bring disease in.
These are all single source animals
from one finishing facility,” Tomiski
said.

Three swine veterinarians developed the health protocol for the
project, and Alberta practitioner
Madonna Benjamin checked their
welfare and looked for disease when
they arrived at the beginning of
June.
The boars were sorted into social
groups before shipping and have
been kept in those pods ever since to
prevent aggression or the introduction of disease.

Benjamin did not detect evidence
of fighting, such as lesions and bruises, or clinical signs of disease, such as
coughing and sneezing.
The Quebec site is classified as triple negative status for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome
virus, mycoplasma and actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, a serious
respiratory infection.
A second set of health tests is conducted for the diseases following

the sale. The boars could be delivered June 27 if there are no positive
samples.
The concept is controversial
among some vets because of the
biosecurity risk, but Benjamin said
it offers advantages because producers can observe the individuals
up close.
“Producers are actually seeing live
boars to see how they walk and how
they move,” she said.

FORT SASKATCHEWAN, Alta. —
Alberta pork producers are confident
their animals are well cared for, but
they aren’t willing to tie their sales to
an animal safety program whose
rules are still uncertain.
The voluntary Animal Care Assessment program was introduced in
2005 as a way to allow producers to
demonstrate their high quality animal care and have it validated by a
third party.
The Canadian Pork Council wants
the assessment tool to be part of the
Canadian Quality Assurance program by 2012. While voluntary, it
would be necessary before selling
hogs.
Alberta Pork chair Jim Haggins said
the organization is concerned about
the future rules of a program that may

We don’t think the industry will have
enough financial relief within the next
two years, and we are concerned about
having new costs forced on them.
JIM HAGGINS
ALBERTA PORK CHAIR

force its members to make costly
barn upgrades during difficult financial times.
The animal care program is a code
of practice that provides guidelines
for farmers to follow when looking
after their animals and operating
their barns. It was written more than
15 years ago.
A new, likely stricter code of practice is expected to be released within
two years.

“It’s not about adhering to the code
of practice today, but we don’t know
what will be in the new document,”
said Haggins.
“We don’t think the industry will
have enough financial relief within
the next two years and we are concerned about having new costs
forced on them.”
The Canadian Pork Council announced in March that animal care
assessments will become an integral

part of the Canadian Quality Assurance program by 2012.
“Alberta Pork has some concerns
about the inclusion in the CQA,” Haggins told an Alberta Pork regional
meeting.
“In Alberta, we want to see new
code of practice before automatically
signing on.”
Wainwright pork producer Bryan
Perkins said he has some of the most
modern hog barns in the province
but doesn’t know if his barns would
meet new requirements, especially
with housing sows.
“We don’t have a single farm that
would qualify,” said Perkins.
The assessment tool is theoretically
voluntary, but it will soon become a
necessary requirement for selling
animals, similar to the quality assurance program.
It is also voluntary but required by
packers.

“CQA is no longer voluntary,” said
Perkins.
Murray Roeske of Alberta Pork said
producers may not like the new rules,
but they have to be able to show proof
that their animals are well cared for.
“We must be able to confidently say
that the animals are cared for and this
is the proof.”
Canadian Pork Council president
Jurgen Preugschas said the CQA program is a marketing tool to allow
Canadians to sell pork overseas.
“It’s voluntary, but it is the price of
entry into foreign markets. If you
didn’t have CQA, you wouldn’t sell at
all.”
He said Alberta Pork’s concerns
about making the assessment tool
part of the quality assurance program has created difficulties for the
national organization.
It had announced in March that all
provinces were in agreement.
access=subscriber section=livestock,none,none

e heard years ago about
resistance with fly tags.
I believe the first tags
were called Bovaid and with no other
tags on the market, researchers
noticed resistance developing after a
few years.
Soon other companies were making tags with a different family of
chemicals so producers could rotate
them and ward off resistance.
Horn flies continually feed, so if
tags or other fly control methods
become ineffective, flies become
immediately visible on the animals’
backs.
This is especially true on bulls
because they attract more flies and
hundreds or thousands will be visible if control is inadequate.
In the last several years a product
called Cylence was developed as a
pour-on for flies. Its effectiveness
lasts about two-thirds of the time for
which the fly tags are good. It is commonly used because it is easy to
apply and cows did not have to be
caught.
We are now starting to see resistance to the Cylence. For producers
who have used it several years in a
row, flies can be seen on the backs of

cattle for short of the 60 day effectiveness window.
We are not getting the bang for the
buck, so to speak.
If producers see flies sooner than
expected, it is time to change products. The best remedy is to keep
cycling through the different fly tags
and Cylence.
This prevents resistance from
developing and weight gains are better on the cattle, which is what producers strive for.
At this time of year, producers
should use binoculars and check for
flies on cattle in pastures, or have a
closer look at animals during processing. At the minimum, producers
should treat bulls being turned out
for breeding.
With internal parasites (worms),
resistance to endectocides has been
shown in the southern United States,
where internal parasites are treated
several times a year. Canada doesn’t
have nearly the same worm problem
so cattle are usually treated once to
twice yearly.
The main culprit in Western Canada is lice. To my knowledge, research
was done in this field a few years ago
and no resistance was found.

TREATMENT TIPS
To avoid flies and parasites gaining
resistance to key control treatments,
producers can take several steps:
• Don’t over treat. If cattle need it,
treat them but not every time they
go through the chute.
• Do not under dose because that
can lead to resistance. This may

By observing barn flies feeding on the backs of animals, producers can tell if control methods have become
ineffective. | FILE PHOTO
have occurred when the endectocides were pricey.
• Producers apply control according
to weight so accurate scales are
needed or someone who is able to
estimate the weight well.
• If unsure whether treatment is necessary, consult a veterinarian. If
worms are the problem, the vet
may change to an older generation
dewormer, such as Safeguard (fenbendazole) or an even older product Tramisol (levamisole) if still
available. In the past, there was

some resistance developing to
these, but because they have been
used little for the last several years
they may be valuable.
In many cases, fecal counts to test
for worm loads may be negative or
low enough whereby deworming
may not be necessary. As with most
parasitic conditions, a low level of
infection elicits some natural resistance in the animal.
I have seen this with tapeworms.
Young bison may have a heavy load
and yet the adult bison are clean and

this was without deworming them
for the tapeworms. Fortunately in
most of Canada, winter puts parasite
transmission on hold, making control easier. If producers use diligence
and don’t overuse good products, we
hopefully can avoid resistance.
Occasionally checking fecal counts
on the least thriving animals will
identify whether internal parasites
are a problem.
Roy Lewis is a veterinarian practising in
Westlock, Alta.

access=subscriber section=livestock,none,none

ANIMAL CARE | EDUCATION

Producers must be vocal
to defend livelihoods
BY BARBARA DUCKWORTH
CALGARY BUREAU

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. — Public
education about what happens on
farms and ranches is a business
investment, says the head of the British Columbia Farm Animal Care
Council.
“This is your life, it is not just a job,”
council manager Geraldine Auston
told the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association’s recent annual meeting in
Prince George.
“It is your turn to tell your story
about what is happening on your
farms. You can’t let people say what
you are doing on your behalf.”
The council was formed two years
ago with funding from Agriculture
Canada and the Investment Agriculture Foundation of B.C. It is aligned
with similar groups in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario as well as a
national organization.
The BCCA is a member of the B.C.
council.
Auston said livestock and poultry
producers need to be more vocal
about what is done on their farms
because telling these stories is an
investment in the farm.
“The more they don’t understand,
the more at threat your farms and
ranches are,” she said.
Auston warned cattle producers

that recent attack ads and animal
rights websites are targeting livestock practices.
The Vancouver Humane Society
recently posted such information,
although she did not know how
widely read it was.
For example, www.raisingthebarn.ca has spoken out against calf
roping at rodeos and promotes little
or no meat consumption.
“We are letting those groups go
forward and communicating what
they want. We can say they are
wrong but nobody does anything,”
Auston said.
“These people are very passionate
about what they do, but you are very
passionate about what you do.”
The council has developed a livestock emergency response plan, an
equine emergency program and a
care line at 877-828-5486 for producers to call before a welfare situation
gets out of control.
Certified livestock hauling training
was offered before the council was
formed and more is coming. About
100 truckers have been trained.
Livestock handling and behaviour
courses are available and a media
strategy has been created.
The council is planning its first
conference Nov. 10 in Abbotsford.
Information will be posted at www.
bcfacc.ca.
access=subscriber section=livestock,none,none

It’s weather – wherever
Whether you’re in the ﬁeld or out on business – WeatherFarm’s mobile
Web site can connect you to the weather on your farm. Take your
current conditions, forecasts and radar imagery with you wherever you go.
Bookmark http://m.weatherfarm.com on your mobile device today!
Setup instructions at www.cwb.ca/wfmobile .

AG STOCKS FOR JUNE 20-24
Stock prices rose and fell on the outlook for a
successful resolution of the Greek debt problem.
The surprise decision to release crude oil from
strategic reserves drove oil prices lower. For
the week, the TSX composite rose one percent,
the Dow slipped 0.58 percent, the S&P 500
declined 0.24 percent and the Nasdaq gained
1.39 percent.
Cdn. exchanges in $Cdn. U.S. exchanges in $U.S.

Seed technology companies continue to ramp up their investment in
Canada’s canola industry.
Pioneer Hi-Bred hosted an open
house earlier this month at the new
seed production facility it is building
in Wingham, Ont.
The $15 million plant will produce parent inbreds for the company’s hybrid seed production facility in Lethbridge and experimental
hybrids for its large plot testing program.
The 3,251 sq. metre facility will
include a warehouse, seed plant and
office building. The warehouse is
built and the rest of the project is
under construction.

The plant is expected to be fully
operational by late 2012.
Pioneer built the facility because its
parent seed production business had
outgrown the space it shared with the
breeding and research group in
Georgetown, Ont.
Plant manger Tim Martin said
Pioneer built its parent seed production plant in Eastern Canada to
maintain the purity of the parent
lines.
“Isolation is critical and we can get
that in Ontario because we’re not in
the canola belt,” he said.
The new facility will allow Pioneer
to produce more parent inbreds and
experimental hybrids.
“This gives us capacity to do more
testing so that farmers can be confident that they’re getting the best pos-

sible products,” said Martin.
The plant will multiply breeder
seed provided by Pioneer’s research
centres in Edmonton, Saskatoon,
Carmen, Man., and Georgetown.
The company is focusing on
sclerotinia and clubroot resistant
lines and eventually Liberty tolerant
hybrids.
Rick White, general manager of the
Canadian Canola Growers Association, said those are the kinds of traits
have real value for farmers.
“Investments by development
companies like Pioneer certainly are
instrumental in keeping Canadian
growers at the leading edge of seed
development,” he said.
Companies have made a lot of
those types of investments in recent
years:

• Cargill opened a specialty canola
research and production centre in
Aberdeen, Sask.
• Bayer CropScience spent $15 million expanding its centre of innovation near Saskatoon into a global
canola breeding centre.
• Monsanto is building a $15 million
breeding centre at the University of
Manitoba and expanding its crop
technology research centre in
Saskatoon.
“It shows that the canola industry is
on the right track. It is a healthy
industry, not only for the growers but
for the investors and development
companies,” said White.
“It seems to be working for everyone. I guess that’s why we see such a
vibrant and competitive canola
industry in Canada.”
access=subscriber section=ag_finance,none,none

Loss of single desk would devastate Churchill: mayor
BY BARRY WILSON
OTTAWA BUREAU

Churchill mayor Mike Spence is
pleading with the federal government to consider the impact on his

northern Manitoba port town before
ending the Canadian Wheat Board
single desk.
“I hope the federal government will
take some time to digest how we can
be affected by this change with the

wheat board,” he told a June 15 news
conference organized by NDP MPs
fighting the government proposal.
Spence said wheat board grain
makes up as much as 95 percent of
shipments through the port. Ending

the single desk would sharply reduce
traffic and cause the loss of up to 200
jobs in the town and communities
south of it that rely on the Hudson
Bay rail line.
“We are very concerned with the

government decision to not allow
Canadian farmers to play a role in
where they go,” he said.
It would mean the end of Churchill
access=subscriber section=ag_finance,none,none

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

»

AGFINANCE
as a strategic northern port that offers
a window on the Arctic and was
developed because of the vision of
earlier generations, said Spence.
“Churchill wasn’t a mistake, it is
there for a reason,” he said. “It’s
frightening and devastating that this
could be taken away. The vision
needs to continue.”
The Conservative government
insists that while the wheat and barley monopoly will cease to exist Aug.
1, 2012, the CWB can continue as a
competitive grain company if its supporters want it to.
Churchill New Democrat Niki Ashton organized the Parliament Hill
news conference to argue that the
Conservatives have not thought
through their CWB plan and its
impact on the northern Manitoba
port. Last year, 600,000 tonnes of
CWB grain were shipped through the
port through the elevator owned by
Omnitrax.
“In an open market, private grain
companies would have no incentive
to use the port and would look
toward the port in Thunder Bay or the
West Coast where they have facilities,” she said.
The Hudson Bay railway would also
likely close, she added, stranding
many isolated communities.
She said the irony of the government
decision is that five years ago, prime
minister Stephen Harper joined the
Manitoba premier to pledge $60 million for port and rail line upgrades.
“The benefit of that spending
would be lost,” Ashton said in an
interview. “It would also challenge
the Harper commitment to Arctic
sovereignty and trade since Churchill
is Canada’s only deep water port with
access to the Arctic.”
Winnipeg New Democrat MP Pat
Martin, his party’s wheat board critic,
called on the government to produce
the economic analysis and impact
studies that prove the case for ending
the monopoly.
“They haven’t done that and if they
don’t, it is just ideology,” he said. “It
will hollow out the corporate heart of
the economic base of downtown
Winnipeg and Manitoba generally
and we will lose our position as the
world’s leaders in grain research,
grain quality control and grain marketing.”
Martin defended the Manitoba
government’s decision to spend
money on advertisements supporting the CWB, arguing that since the
Conservatives imposed a “gag order”
on the wheat board that does not let it
defend itself, someone has to. He
said the gag order is part of a sinister
government policy, along with the
decision to deny grain farmers a vote.
“It’s fascist to not only deny them
the vote but to deny them the right to
speak,” he said. “So the government
of Manitoba had to step in on behalf
of prairie farmers who don’t want to
see it dismantled.”

NEW CROP: DURUM UP SHARPLY IN LATEST POOL OUTLOOK
Cdn $ per tonne in store
Vancouver or St. Lawrence

OLD CROP: DURUM VALUES INCREASE
Cdn $ per tonne in store
Vancouver or St. Lawrence

MAY
Pool Return Outlook
2010-11

* PROs are the CWB’s estimate of crop year returns. Unusual weather and other changes in
market conditions could dramatically affect the forecasts. PROs are not price guarantees and
should not be confused with initial payments.

Canada’s largest grain company
has increased its stake in the North
American pulse crop business.
Viterra has bought Premier Pulses
International Inc., a processor of
peas, lentils and chickpeas in Minot,
North Dakota.
The acquisition was driven by
strong demand for pulses in the
Middle East and Asia.
“By increasing our footprint in

these crops, we are able to better
serve this demand while bringing
Viterra’s expertise and value to local
producers,” said Bob Miller, Viterra’s
senior vice-president of grain for
North America.
The purchase is in line with one of
the company’s strategic goals for
2011 outlined in the 2010 annual
report: expand the origination of
grains, oilseeds and pulses.
Viterra chief executive officer Mayo
Schmidt may have telegraphed the
deal on June 9 during his discussion

with reporters and investment analysts about the company’s second
quarter results.
“We’re a top supplier of pulses into
India and continue to penetrate the
pulse market in Western Canada,”
said Schmidt. “Western Canada
expects to double its 3.5 million
tonnes of exports of peas, lentils and
chickpeas to India by 2025 and Viterra will play an important role in
meeting this demand.”
Premier Pulses operates a processing plant in Minot, where

locally purchased pulses are stored,
processed, bagged and shipped to
customers around the world. It also
has a marketing office in Lewiston,
Idaho.
“Premier Pulses is an excellent fit
for our North American grain operations as it is located in the primary
pea and lentil growing regions in the
northern U.S.,” said Miller.
“Expanding our operation into
Minot presents an exciting opportunity, which aligns with Viterra’s pulse
merchandising growth strategy.”
access=subscriber section=ag_finance,none,none

Viterra expands
Gull Lake terminal
Viterra has expanded its Gull Lake
terminal, significantly increasing its
grain handling capacity.
T h e f a c i l i t y ’s ra i l s i d i n g h a s
increased to 112 car spots from 56.
Its storage capacity, located on the
Canadian Pacific Railway line in
southwestern Saskatchewan, has
also increased by 37 percent.

POS BIO-SCIENCES WELCOMES
NEW BOARD MEMBERS
Two new directors were recently
elected to the board of POS BioSciences: Daphne Taras of the
University of Saskatchewan’s
Edwards School of Business and Art
Froehlich of AdFarm.
John Cross replaces Dennis
Mulvihill as chair.
As well, the company has launched
a $5,000 post-secondary scholarship
for young adult children of POS
employees. The POS Paul Fedec
Family Scholarship has been
established in honour of Paul Fedec,
who recently retired.
Fedec was responsible for helping
clients introduce new products to
the marketplace, including deheated
mustard and beta glucan.
POS Bio-Sciences operates 11
access=subscriber section=news,none,none

Electric Combine Hopper Cover
John Deere

New Holland

CALL FOR DETAILS
ON MODELS AND YOUR LOCAL DEALER
Case IH

Agco

laboratories and six pilot plant
processing areas and helps
companies in the fuel, crops, and
health and wellness industries
with process development, toll
processing, and testing and analysis
of products in preparation for
commercialization.
TOPIGS USA NAMES BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Brent Eyler has joined Topigs USA
as business development manager.
He will develop sales in the eastern
United States with emphasis on
Ohio and Indiana. He will also be
responsible for technical support to
customers in this region.
Topigs produces and develops
pig genetic programs and breeding
systems for commercial hog
production.
CHUCK WAGONS JOIN RACE
AGAINST HUNGER
The World Professional
Chuckwagon Association and
Encana Corp. raised almost 635
pounds of non-perishable food and
almost $5,000 in cash donations
during the second annual Race
Against Hunger at the Grande Prairie
Stompede in May.
The donations were made in
support of the Salvation Army Food
Bank in Grande Prairie, Alta.
Total contributions this year were
nearly three times more than last year
and helps stock local food bands this
summer.
Encana matched cash dollar for
dollar and provided $2 for every
pound of food collected during the
Stompede.
The Race Against Hunger program
takes place in select Dodge Pro
Tour stops, including Grande
Prairie, Drumheller, Ponoka and
Strathmore in Alberta and Dawson
Creek B.C.
The program raised $25,000 and
more than 3,800 lb. of food for local
food banks last year.
The most successful driver in the
Race Against Hunger will receive a
matching donation of up to $10,000
from Encana to the food bank of
his choice, a $1,000 prize and a
commemorative silver belt buckle.
POLITICIANS TO VOTE FOR
CELEBRITY’S CHOICE AWARD

Q A 12DC motor is a standard
feature on all tarpaulins.
Q Lightweight.

Calgary MP Michelle Rempel and
Alberta Wildrose Alliance leader
Danielle Smith will select this year’s
Celebrity’s Choice award winner
during the Stampede Parade.
The parade will be held July 8 as
part of the Calgary Stampede.
Enter the Canadian Wildlife
Federation “Water’s Worth It!” video
contest and help conserve your local
water body.

www.michels.ca
Industries, Ltd.

Phone: (306) 366-2184
Email: sales@michels.ca
P.O. Box 119 St. Gregor, SK., S0K 3X0
“We called you because we owe
the other plumber money.”

• Food irradiation is the process of exposing food to a
controlled amount of energy called ionizing radiation.
• This radiation penetrates food and kills
micro-organisms such as E.coli 0157:H7,
salmonella and campylobacter bacteria.

BY BARRY WILSON
OTTAWA BUREAU

Canada’s largest consumer lobby has reversed
three decades of opposition to food irradiation
by urging Ottawa to
increase use of the technology on imported
food.
The proposal came
from Consumers’ Association of Canada president Bruce Cran during a recent consumer
discussion held with
agriculture minister
Gerry Ritz and officials
from Agriculture Canada
and the Canadian Food
Inspection Agency.
Cran said in a June 23 interview from British Columbia that
the 30-year-old policy to oppose
i r ra d i at i o n ha s b e e n c ha n g e d
because of improvements in the
technology and the increased risk of
contaminated imported food.
The most recent example is the
outbreak of E. coli on European bean
sprouts that killed at least 29 people
and sicken ed thousands more.
“We are suggesting that irradiation technology has come a long
way since we first opposed it,” said
Cran.
“We see a lot more threat to food
safety from imports and we are suggesting the government consider
increased use of irradiation as one of
their tools. If irradiation is the lesser
of two evils, one of which is unsafe
food, we opt for irradiation.”

• It helps prevent spoilage by destroying bacteria, moulds and yeast and
controls insect or parasite infections.
• It increases shelf life by slowing
ripening or sprouting in fresh fruits
and vegetables.
• The green radura (shown at
left) is the international symbol
that indicates a food has been
irradiated. Irradiated foods must
display this symbol, along with
a statement that the product has
been irradiated, on or beside the
food.
Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency

A
limited
number of
products can already be irradiated in
Canada to guard against contamination or extend shelf life. Spices,
onions, wheat and flour are on the
approved list.
“We are not saying this would be the
be all and end all solution to the
problem of food safety but we are
s ay i n g i t s h o u l d b e o n e o f t h e
options,” said Cran.
He made his pitch to agriculture
officials, but the power to authorize
increased irradiation lies with Health
Canada. The department did not

MAJOR ENDEAVOUR

respond
to a request
for comment
before deadline.
Word of the change in
the consumer association’s position
was welcomed as progress at the Canadian Meat Council, which represents
federally inspected packing plants.
The council has long advocated
that Canada join the United States in
allowing irradiation of meat.
“We applaud that change of position,” executive director Jim Laws
said. “We have been asking the federal government to take another
opportunity to review the technology
that is available. We believe it is a safe
process that enhances food safety

and we think the change in consumer attitudes is positive.”
However, NDP agriculture and
food safety critic Malcolm Allen was
more guarded in his response.
“Rather than have a technology
designed to fix food problems when
they arrive on our shores, I think we
should be demanding that countries
we buy food from have systems in
place that assure the food we are
importing is safe.”
On the European E. coli issue, CFIA
said there is no evidence that contaminated products have been
imported to Canada. Still, it said it is
being vigilant.
“As a safety precaution, incoming
shipments from the European Union
will be identified and the CFIA will
intensify sampling and testing of
these products for the presence of
Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia
coli, the E. coli strain linked to the
outbreak in Europe,” it said.
access=subscriber section=farmliving,none,none

All roads led to Endeavour, Sask., and the annual Church Mouse sale
held June 4 at St. James Anglican Church. | Shirley Byers photos

Some come
for the books,
and there
were hundreds
of them,
everything from
Harlequin to
Dr. Seuss to
How-tos. Some
folks knew
what they were
looking for,
and they came
prepared with
boxes and bags
to carry home
their loot.
There was plenty of sports equipment on offer, but it was a collection of old
licence plates that seemed to have snagged the attention of these young men.

VICTORIA — Many consumers pay
attention to the “best before” and
“expiry” dates on the food they buy,
but do they know what they mean?
“I think most consumers aren’t
aware of the differences between the
terms,” said Kevin Allen, assistant
professor of food microbiology at the
University of British Columbia.
The “best before” date appears on
pre-packaged food that will keep
fresh for 90 days or less, such as eggs,
milk and meat. It applies only to
unopened products.
Food can be bought and eaten after
the “best before” date has passed, but
the food may lose freshness, flavour
and nutritional value or its texture
may change.
Expiry dates must appear on special
liquid diets, meal replacements and
infant formulas. The food should not
be eaten after the expiry date because
the food may not have the same nutrient content.
Some believe there’s leeway with
the dates, but Allen takes a harder
line.
“In general, I abide by the ‘best
before’ dates and expiry dates,” said
the father of two young children.
Consuming food beyond those
dates means it may not be as safe or
nutritious as it was before the dates,
which Allen said is especially important for seriously ill people or those
receiving treatments such as chemotherapy.
However, he said food may not be
safe to consume even with a “best
before” date.
“The food is guaranteed to be fresh,
but that does not guarantee that it’s
free of pathogens.”
Manufacturers test their products
and follow standard safety procedures, but a lot can happen in the
factory, after it leaves the factory and
when it’s served in the home.
“One big issue is that retail fridges
and consumers’ fridges are not
always at 4 C,” Allen said of the temperature necessary to keep food safe.
Poultry is a particular problem,
even with “best before” packaging.
Allen said 30 percent of poultry meat
contains salmonella and 60 percent
has campylobacter. Both cause diarrhea, cramps and fever, which are
sometimes chalked up to the flu
instead of food poisoning.
UBC nutritional sciences professor
Gwen Chapman said there is a bit of
wiggle room when it comes to cream
and yogurt that has passed “best
before” dates.
“It’s a quality issue, as much as anything,” Chapman said. “Food can
deteriorate, but some things can last a
long time past the date.”
access=subscriber section=farmliving,none,none

LUMSDEN, Sask. — Laureen and
Wes LaBrash were both raised, at
opposite ends of the province, on
farms that focused on local, organic
food production.
Now they are raising their son, Justin, 11, on an organic farm in the
Qu’Appelle Valley west of Lumsden,
Sask., with a goal of growing food and
providing an organic experience.
Three years ago, they moved from
Regina to their 72 acres primarily to
help Justin deal with severe allergies
and asthma. The cleaner air has
worked.
“It’s better, not perfect, but better,”
said Laureen LaBrash.
On this May day, Justin, who is
home schooled, is helping his dad
and grandfather build new chicken
coops.
“He’s building barns, learning how
to measure and making memories,”
she said.
The new coops are necessar y
because spring flooding destroyed
the area where the family raised
chickens and turkeys last year.
“Mother Nature landscaping company helped us make decisions this
year,” Laureen said, citing a mess of
branches, soil and entire trees that
washed through the lower parts of
the property through a small creek
from the hills.
Fortunately, the greenhouse Wes
built onto the west side of the house
from reclaimed wood and windows
was spared.
Inside, several thousand certified
organic bedding plants are thriving.
The greenhouse began three years
ago from a science experiment with
Justin and has blossomed into
LaBrash Homestead Organics.
Demand for organic flowers and
vegetables is strong, but growing
them that way can be tricky.
Finding seed and soil is easier than
finding organic pots to put them in,
said LaBrash. She is using coir pots
and likes the fact that the coconut
produces coir fibre in 25 days compared to the 250 years it takes peat
bogs to regenerate.
Between 80 and 85 percent of the
varieties they grow are endangered
or rare.
There are about six places in Canada that carry the seed for such varieties, and LaBrash obtained one of her
vegetables from a 17-year-old likeminded teenager in Halifax.
Her inventory ranges from corn
and cucumbers to okra and celeriac
and various herbs and flowers such
as Bells of Ireland and nasturtium.
“I grow what’s available and what
people are requesting,” she said.
Whatever is left, the family plants in
its own garden, and any excess produce goes to a couple of Regina stores
that sell local organic food.
This summer, they are getting some
help from a volunteer through
the World Wide Opportunities on
Organic Farms, an organization that
links people who want to share a sustainable lifestyle.
Wes, who is director of marketing at
SaskTel, said he is looking forward to
spending time with someone who
asks how instead of why.
“It’s a lifestyle choice we are making
access=subscriber section=farmliving,none,none

ABOVE: Justin LaBrash pounds a nail under the
supervision of his grandfather, Grant Hale. LaBrash
Homestead Organics is building poultry barns on its
Lumsden, Sask., farm.
RIGHT: Laureen LaBrash starts organic bedding plants,
flowers, herbs and vegetables. | KAREN BRIERE PHOTOS
for ourselves,” he said. “Conventional farmers will certainly doubt the
value of growing things organically,
but to each his own.”
The LaBrashes are sharing their
lifestyle through another venture —
Hale Oasis Retreat.
Hale is Laureen’s maiden name,
and they chose it to make sure their
backgrounds were both recognized.
Interestingly, the word also means
remote valley in old English, she said.
They bill the retreat as an eco park,
where corporate groups, youth
groups and others can spend time
hiking, bird watching, stargazing and
enjoying nature.
They host tobogganing parties and
team building, scavenger hunts and
yoga retreats by appointment.
“A lot of youth groups come out
here and camp out,” Laureen said.
About four kilometres of groomed
trails through the hills to the top
and back were already developed
on the property when the LaBrashes
bought it.
Along the trails, plants such as
stinging nettle and burdock present
other possibilities. Laureen is considering making stinging nettle tea
fertilizer, an organic option for
growers.
“It’s about getting back to the roots
as much as possible,” Wes said.
He describes their farm a small,
well-rounded operation that will
feed them and others in a sustainable
way.
The organic poultry will produce
organic manure, and someday there
could be organic cattle on the farm,
said Justin.
“Having a very diverse crop really
helps us be organic,” he said. “You’re
always losing something.”
Last year, blight took their tomato
crop, but the potato yield was better
than ever.
“We lost all our turkeys, but the
chickens did extremely well,” he said.
A disease cost them their turkeys,
but they are trying again in the four
new coops built this spring for them,
broilers and laying hens.
Mother Nature wasn’t quite done
with the LaBrashes after the flood

damage. A windstorm took off the
roofs of two of the new barns, resulting in another rebuilding project.
Fortunately, none of the birds were
lost.

Wes said he likes the poultry and the
building side of things. An expanded
greenhouse is on his agenda.
“I classify my wife as a farmer and
I’m a farm labourer,” he said.

Still, he said he can’t give up his day
job.
“The small farm movement is really
growing. Unfortunately, you have to
have one working off the farm.”

Free Admission
Join us for the 110th anniversary of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Agroforestry
Development Centre in Indian Head. Come and learn ﬁrst-hand about
our interesting agroforestry research and programs and their impact on Canadians
and the agricultural community.

Indian Head, Saskatchewan
1 mile south of Indian Head off Hwy 1
For more information,
call 1-866-766-2284 or email agroforestry@agr.gc.ca

68

JUNE 30, 2011 | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | THE WESTERN PRODUCER

FARM LIVING

SUMMER FRUIT | RECIPES

Strawberries:
a delicious way
to celebrate
Canada Day

WHY ARE THEY CALLED

STRAWBERRIES?
• There is a legend that strawberries
were named in the 19th century by
English children who picked the fruit,
strung them on grass straws and sold
them as straws of berries.
• Another theory is the name was
derived from the 19th century
practice, and still used today, of
placing straw around growing berry
plants to protect the ripening fruit.

TEAM RESOURCES

• The most widely held view is that the
name strawberry was derived from
the berries that are strewn about on
the plants, and the name strewn berry
eventually morphed into strawberry.

JODIE MIROSOVSKY, BSHEc

S

chool is out. It’s time to turn off
the alarm clock and take a break
from the daily routine. It is also
a time to celebrate Canada and the
variety of food available to feed our
families.
At this time of year, we want to take
advantage of seasonal foods because
the taste is better.
Strawberries are packed with antioxidants like vitamin C and fibre.
Enjoy these strawberry dishes.

STRAWBERRY CREPES
These easy to prepare crepes were
served to me in a high school food lab.
They’re a great red and white way to
celebrate Canada Day.
3
1 c.
1/8 tsp.
1 c.
1/4 c.
2 tbsp.

for at least 30
minutes.
Mix the strawberries with brown
sugar and let sit.
After the batter is set,
heat an eight inch skillet
that is lightly greased with butter. Pour in about 1/3 cup of batter to fill the bottom of the skillet.
Cook for approximately 30 seconds
or until lightly browned. Turn and
repeat on the other side and turn onto
a pan and place into a low heat oven
that will keep the crepes warm until
you have cooked enough to serve.
Fill each crepe with about 1/2 cup
(125 mL) of strawberries and top with
whipped cream. Fold over the crepe
and garnish lightly with strawberries
and whipped cream. Sprinkle with
icing sugar if desired.
Source: cooks.com.

Preheat both burners on the barbecue to medium heat.
Cut lemons in half and squeeze
the juice into a mixing bowl. Place
the lemons and garlic in the chicken
cavity.
Sprinkle seasoning salt lightly over
the chicken. Add the barbecue sauce,
paprika and lemon pepper seasoning

Combine the
first four ingredients in a large
bowl. Mix well. Pour
dressing over the
greens before serving.
Note: Add cooked
chicken to make it a meal
salad.
Source: Kraft Kitchens.

ROAST CHICKEN
ON THE GRILL
Try this cooking method to avoid
blackened chicken. Serve with salad
and a baked potato.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs
with a fork. Add flour and salt and beat.
Gradually add milk and water, combining until smooth. Cover and refrigerate
access=subscriber section=farmliving,none,none

to the lemon juice.
Turn off one burner on the barbecue
and place the chicken in a baking pan
(breast side up) over this side.
Close the lid and cook for approximately two hours or until juices run
clear.
Baste the chicken with the lemon
juice mixture during cooking.

Combine the dry pudding mix and
pineapple in a mixing bowl. Fold in the
whipped topping and refrigerate for at
least 45 minutes before serving.
Cut the angel food cake into slices.
Drop a large spoonful of the filling mix
on each slice and top with fresh cut
strawberries.
Jodie Mirosovsky is a home economist from
Rosetown, Sask., and a member of Team
Resources. Contact: team@producer.com.

GUN OWNERSHIP | CRIMINAL CODE

Improper gun storage can lead to criminal offence
THE LAW

RICK DANYLIUK, QC

Q:

A recent murder case in my
hometown involved a young
man charged with shooting to death
a young woman using a long gun
and ammunition he had earlier
stolen from a parked vehicle. The
gun owner, who newspaper reports
described as a rancher, was not
charged. What does the law say about
keeping firearms and ammunition in
motor vehicles?

A:

The decision not to charge this
person likely depended upon
a review of the particular facts of this
case. It may be that his storage of the
gun and ammunition was reasonable.
With or without Canada’s firearms
registry, there are laws in place dealing with the use, storage and handling of firearms.
A serious charge is the use of any
firearm in the commission of another
offence. Armed robbery is an example, but this law can extend to other
offences.
Under Section 85 of the Criminal
Code, if a person uses a firearm to
commit an offence, attempt to commit an offence or while running away
from doing so, that person is guilty of
an additional offence.
If it’s the first offence, the maximum
term of imprisonment is 14 years and

the minimum is one year. If it is a subsequent offence, the minimum
jumps to three years and the maximum stays at 14.
Also, such a sentence is on top of
any other jail time.
More common is a charge under
Section 86. If you carelessly use, carry, handle, ship, transport or store a
firearm (or ammunition), it is an
offence, unless you have a lawful
excuse or can show you took reasonable precautions for the safety of
other persons.
If it is a serious situation, the crown
can prosecute this as an indictable
(more serious) offence and it carries
a maximum penalty of two years in
jail (for a first offence) and five years
for a subsequent offence.
If it is less serious, the crown prosecutes by way of summary conviction,
with maximum punishment set at six

months in jail or $5,000 fine.
Hunters may be charged if they do
not take proper care. Even if you
improperly store your firearm or
ammunition in your own home, and
it is discovered, you may be charged.
The cases suggest that this offence
requires the crown to prove conduct
showing a “marked departure” from
the standard of care of a reasonably
prudent person, in the same circumstances.
Note also there is a separate offence
(Section 87) for pointing a firearm at
someone, with a five year maximum
jail sentence. This is distinct from
careless handling. It doesn’t matter if
the firearm is loaded or not.
Section 90 of our Criminal Code
makes it an offence to carry a weapon
in a concealed manner unless the
person is authorized under the federal Firearms Act. Maximum jail time

is five years. This section includes the
person and his vehicle.
Finally, there are charges of possessing a weapon or ammunition for
a purpose dangerous to the public
peace or for the purpose of committing an offence.
In these instances, the punishment
can run up to 10 years. The main part
of this charge is the purpose for
which the person has the weapon.
Just using or storing a weapon in a
dangerous way is not enough for this
charge.
There can be serious consequences
for improper possession or use of a
weapon. Be careful and treat it with
the respect and responsibility it
deserves.
Rick Danyliuk is a lawyer with McDougall
Gauley LLP in Saskatoon. Contact: thelaw
@producer.com.
access=subscriber section=farmliving,none,none

RICETON, Sask. — Bob Balfour
emerges from a mill on his farm at the
old Bechard townsite near Riceton
with a layer of flour dusting his white
coat and hair net.
Balfour operates R & J Milling,
where he uses a secret method to
process organic grain such as durum,
wheat, spelt and rye into flour and
also handles peas and lentils.
Growing and processing organic
grain has provided him with steady
work as world demand increases
for alternative grain. However,
increased popularity has meant
more players in the market, including China with its lower labour costs.
“There’s lots of demand in the
world and other people have gotten
into it,” he said.
“But they don’t have the quality we
have.”
His wife, Rochelle, helps bag the
finished product into two, 10 and 20
kilogram bags bound for a variety of
restaurant and retail markets.
Balfour delivers up to 20, 20 kg bags
of unbleached organic white and
whole wheat flour a week to Koko
Patisserie in Regina for use in its specialty breads and sweet treats.
“We can only deal with people who
are approved and accredited and can
show that food is handled correctly,”
said Koko co-owner Kirby Punshon.
He said it’s important that all steps
are followed, from storage to bagging
to delivery.
“Processes are in place to make
what he sells me something I’m not
going to have problems with,” Punshon said.
Koko produces baking from scratch
without mixes, water, artificial
colours or additives, so Balfour’s
grain is a good fit.
These products, which were featured in the prairie pavilion of the Sial
international food trade show in
Toronto in May, are sold mainly in
Saskatchewan but also in gourmet
specialty food retail stores in Western
Canada.
“We’re not competing with Dad’s or
Oreo cookies; we go after a different
niche,” said Punshon.
“We’ve always done a true scratch
product, so now the big trend is in
that arena,” he said.
“People tend to want a little better
food quality and are willing to pay the
price and appreciate what it takes to
make a good product versus more of
the line product.”
Balfour said increasing numbers of
consumers want to know where their
food comes from.
“They want to support local and
want to know who is producing it.”
He prefers older varieties to new
ones, believing that modern varieties
offer less nutrition and cater to the
needs of large industrial food processing plants.
For Balfour, a former university
hockey player and physical education teacher, knowing what he is eating is important.
“I’m not trying to be Robin Hood.
It’s part of my lifestyle.”
The Balfours started farming
Rochelle’s parents’ farm 35 years ago,
adding the mill five years ago.
Organics require more paper-

work, and food processing is subject to many audits and certifications, but the rewards come from
higher returns. The Balfours do all
the work themselves, sitting on their
inventory when prices fall.
They rely on word-of-mouth advertising and repeat business, making
deliveries personally to customers
when possible and also selling into
Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and
Alberta.
They recently participated in a
local food promotion called Dining
with the Stars and also attend trade
shows and conferences to learn

more about marketing and working
with customers.
The Balfours recently sold their 800
organic acres to focus exclusively on
milling. They are now milling what
remains of their own crop.
“We have our own grain. We’ll have
enough for a while,” he said.
The Balfours work with organic
producer Dwayne Woolhouse at
Assiniboia, Sask., to keep sufficient
inventory for new orders.
“We have a responsibility to customers that we have good quality
products available at all times,” said
Balfour.

RETURN
To your local
collection site

™
Visit www.cleanfarms.ca
to find the collection site nearest you.

69

70

JUNE 30, 2011 | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | THE WESTERN PRODUCER

FARM LIVING
LOOKING BACK | ROYAL VISIT

Schoolchildren
eagerly awaited
royal train’s arrival

It was a scene
similar to this
for Unity, Sask.,
children in 1939.
Residents in
communities
across the country
came to see the
royals. Here, King
George VI and
Queen Elizabeth
stand on the
rear platform of
the train at the
Canadian National
Railway station,
in London, Ont. |

Memory of a lifetime | The cold June morning
was warmed by a wave from the queen
BY GINA ROSS
FREELANCE WRITER

CAIRN CROSS/PERFECT
PICTURES PHOTO

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Everyone was stirring by 4:30 a.m.
on June 3, 1939. We were up to see
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
and their train pass through the town
of Unity, Sask., which was 160
kilometres away from us.
About 30 students and a few parents were gathering at the local rural
school at 5 a.m. to board a Model A
half-ton truck and a rented Reo twoton grain truck
On our way to the school that cool
morning, a sudden spurt of water
from the radiator covered the windshield and froze there. When we
reached the school, the ice had to be
scraped off.
Minutes later, we were all aboard
with the backs of both trucks and the
cabs full. There were no laws governing that in those days.
The first 40 miles to Unity was on
the recently gravelled Highway 16
and the rest of the trip was on unimproved dirt roads.
Before long, we were part of a
steady stream of traffic creating a
blinding cloud of dust.
Near Unity, the railway track had
been marked into sections for about
a mile, with each school having an
allotted space. We found our spot
and began the long wait for the train
to pass by.
There was time for a communal
picnic lunch and time for Dad to
organize an impromptu field meet of
races from three-legged to wheelbar-

row to sprints. There was also time to
visit with the other schools.
Finally, it was time to line up beside
the track.
We fidgeted and waited and chatted and waited. Finally, down the
line, we heard the thin sound of
cheering that travelled like a wave at
modern day football games.
Our wait was over. It was our turn to
cheer as the train slowly moved past
us.
And there, standing at the rear on
the observation deck, was the royal
couple.
The king was erect and stately in full
uniform. The queen was a dainty
Dresden doll, a picture of beauty and
charm adorned with a pastel
coloured dress, matching wide
brimmed hat and a friendly wave.
My heart went out to her.
Seconds later, they were gone. We
gathered our belongings and took
our places in the vehicles. It was a
long road home.
I tried to sleep, but I felt cold. Each
fleck of dust poked my badly sunburned arms like stars with sharp
points biting into my skin.
We arrived home to discover that
our adventures were insignificant
compared to Mom’s report. There
had been eight degrees of frost the
previous night and her garden was
ruined.
Neither my memory nor Dad’s
diary indicates if the garden recovered, but the glimpse of the royal
couple remains as bright as ever,
even today.
access=subscriber section=farmliving,none,none

Franck and Kari Groeneweg of
Edgeley will represent Saskatchewan
at the national Outstanding Young
Farmers competition in Brandon,
Man., this fall.
The couple has been farming since
2002 and currently have 9,060 acres
of owned, rented and custom farmed
land northeast of Regina.
Franck, who grew up on a small
farm in France, and Kari, from Alberta, met in the United States and fulfilled their farming dream with their
2002 purchase of 12 quarters.
Green Atlantic Farms uses zero-till
operations on a cereal-oilseed-cereal-pea rotation.
The farm also included a grainburning stove retail business,
although that has been wound down.

Franck describes himself as a
dreamer.
“I had this dream that I wanted to be
a large scale farmer and it was an
impossible dream but I thought it
was beautiful,” he said. “So we went
to a place that it was possible to
achieve it.”
By default, Kari says she is the practical one.
“Often we joke that Franck is the gas
and I’m the brakes, but in a vehicle
you need both, right? And I feel we do
balance each other quite well.”
Both said the OYF win was a great
honour and a testament to everyone
who works with them.
The couple has four children under
age seven. Kari home schools the two
oldest.
Also nominated were cousins Larry
and Michael Spratt of Donaro Farms
at Melfort, Sask.
access=subscriber section=farmliving,none,none

WEATHER
TEMP.
MAP

THIS WEEKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TEMPERATURE FORECAST
June 30 - July 6 (averages are in Â°C)

PRECIP.
MAP

THIS WEEKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PRECIPITATION FORECAST
June 30 - July 6 (averages are in mm)

Much
above
normal

Above
normal

Churchill
Prince George

Churchill
Prince George

Normal

Edmonton

Edmonton
Saskatoon
Regina

Saskatoon

Below
normal

Calgary

Vancouver

71

THE WESTERN PRODUCER | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | JUNE 30, 2011

Vancouver

Calgary
Regina

Winnipeg

Winnipeg

Much
below
normal

The numbers on the above maps are average temperature and precipitation figures for the forecast week, based on historical data from 1971-2000.
n/a = not available; tr = trace; 1 inch = 25.4 millimetres (mm)

United States
$158.00 US/year
All other countries $315.00 Cdn/year
Per copy retail
$3.75 plus taxes

4-H
LOTTERY

SASKATCHEWAN
4-H YOUTH WIN

WITH YOUR SUPPORT.

Purchase your tickets today!

TICKETS
for $
2
10,000

10 Prizes to be
WON totalling over
$

in retail value!

5

EDITORIAL
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e-mail:
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Second prize is a John Deere Garden
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